FOIA Request to Village of Coleta regarding new contracts or amendments on February 1, 2026.
A Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request was submitted to the Village of Coleta by Prairie State Wire, a media organization dedicated to covering local governmental affairs. The request seeks access to records concerning new contracts and any amendments to existing contracts that were executed, approved, or became effective during the immediately preceding calendar month.
The requested information includes the title of each contract or amendment, names of contracting parties, effective and approval dates, contract amounts or amended values, and descriptions of the goods or services covered. This request is made under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act, 5 ILCS 140, with a preference for receiving the records in electronic format.
The request emphasizes that it seeks existing records only and does not require the creation of new documents. If any part of this request is denied or withheld, Prairie State Wire asks for a specific statutory basis for such denial and requests all reasonably segregable portions of the records be released. Additionally, as members of the media involved in gathering and reporting news to the public, they have requested a fee waiver due to their role in disseminating information and holding public institutions accountable.
The requester is affiliated with The Coalition Opposing Governmental Secrecy, a non-profit organization that assists media companies and advocacy groups in investigating governmental agencies using FOIA laws. More information about this coalition can be found on their website: https://stopsecrecy.org/about/.
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.
