All states have laws that require information held by governmental agencies to be provided upon request. FOI laws promote transparency and accountability of governments, facilitate consumers' ability to make informed choices, and safeguard citizens against mismanagement and corruption. Public health agencies—like other governmental agencies—need to be sensitive to these important considerations in responding to FOI requests. At the same time, these laws may create challenges for public health agencies with regard to requests for private information about individuals or sensitive information, such as information that is preliminary, incomplete, or might present a national or state security risk. FOI laws include exemptions that may allow public health agencies to withhold private or sensitive information under certain circumstances. These exemptions vary among states in nature, scope, and prerequisites for denying disclosure.

Prioritize getting enforcement letter to food operators by 12/31/2019. Get Annual Report published

To increase transparency, Canton City Public Health's (CCPH) Environmental Health (EH) and Air Pollution Control (APC) divisions will provide increased public access tp enforcement information. CCPH's APC division will work with Ohio's Environmental Protection Agency (Ohio EPA) to add a link to Ohio EPA's electronic document system to the CCPH website. APC will also provide summaries of complaints and enforcement activities in monthly board reports and post these on the website for public access. The EH division will communicate enforcement plans to food operators and will also provide summaries of complaints and enforcement activities in monthly board reports and post these on the website for public access.