FOIA Request to Village of Coleta regarding vendor payment registers on February 1, 2026.
A request for public records was submitted to the Village of Coleta under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act, 5 ILCS 140. The request, sent by Prairie State Wire, seeks access to the village’s vendor payment register for the immediately preceding calendar month. This includes details such as the names of vendors paid by the city, dates and amounts of payments, and descriptions of goods or services purchased.
The purpose of this request is to gather information that holds public interest and disseminate it to the public. The request specifies that it seeks only existing records 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.
The requester has expressed willingness to receive these records in electronic format if available. Additionally, as a member of the media involved in gathering and reporting news, Prairie State Wire believes it qualifies for a fee waiver due to its role in providing transparency and holding public institutions accountable.
The requestor is affiliated with The Coalition Opposing Governmental Secrecy, a non-profit organization assisting media companies and advocacy groups in investigating governmental agencies through Freedom of Information and Sunshine Laws. More information about this organization can be found at 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.
