Compensation disclosure
The amount of compensation paid by the public body is subject to disclosure unless it is otherwise exempted. The amount of compensation by itself is not exempt from disclosure under section 7(1)(b) of FOIA because it is not a “unique identifier” that could be considered private information. Additionally, the compensation information directly relates to the public body’s use of public funds and is also subject to disclosure pursuant to Section 2.5 of FOIA.
Residential addresses may be withheld under section 7(1)(b) but post office box numbers must be disclosed because they do not uniquely identify an individual or constitute a home address.
This opinion is binding only to the parties involved and may be appealed pursuant to State law.
Shanell M. Bowden, IASB Law Clerk