Each Suffolk City Employee has a role in adhering to FOIA and the operations of the City of Suffolk. An employee is defined as an individual who is employed on a full-time, part-time, or temporary basis, in any position of Suffolk City government

Requests for public records, whether made verbally or in writing, or by any other means, should always be treated as formal requests. The requestor does not have to use the word "FOIA" when making a request. All requests for public records are FOIA requests and employees should respond immediately by forwarding the request to the FOIA Office. The FOIA Officer has five days to respond from the time the request is received by the employee.

FOIA Departmental Contacts and City employees should forward requests to the FOIA Officer for immediate action. It is imperative that the City of Suffolk and the FOIA Office respond to the requests efficiently and timely.