FOIA Request to Coles County regarding vendor payment registers on February 1, 2026.
A Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request was submitted to Coles County, Illinois, by Prairie State Wire on February 1, 2026. The request seeks access to the county’s vendor payment register for the immediately preceding calendar month. This includes detailed records of payments made by the county to vendors, specifying the names of vendors, dates and amounts of payments, and descriptions of goods or services purchased.
The FOIA request emphasizes that it is limited to existing records and does not require the creation of new documents. The requester has expressed a preference for receiving these records in electronic format if available. Additionally, if any part of the request is denied or withheld, a specific statutory basis for such denial is requested along with all reasonably segregable portions of the records.
Prairie State Wire is a media organization dedicated to providing comprehensive news coverage on local governmental affairs. The organization highlights its role in holding public institutions accountable and ensuring transparency through access to public records. As such, they have requested a fee waiver as members of the media.
The requester is affiliated with The Coalition Opposing Governmental Secrecy, a non-profit organization that aids media companies and advocacy groups in investigating governmental agencies using Freedom of Information and Sunshine Laws. More information about this coalition can be found at https://stopsecrecy.org/about/.
Coles County serves approximately 5,774 students with an average student-to-teacher ratio of 14-to-1 across its schools during the 2022-23 school year.
Our team will continue to keep you updated as we gather and report news related to this request and other matters of public interest. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions or need further clarification regarding this matter.
