FOIA Request to Village of Grant Park regarding vendor payment registers on February 1, 2026.
A Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request was submitted to the Village of Grant Park by Prairie State Wire, a media organization focused on local governmental affairs. The request seeks access to the village’s vendor payment register for the immediately preceding calendar month. This request is made under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act, 5 ILCS 140, and emphasizes a preference for receiving the information in electronic format.
The specific records requested include details such as the names of vendors paid by the city, dates and amounts of payments, and descriptions of goods or services purchased. The request aims to gather information of public interest for dissemination to the public and explicitly states that it is limited to existing records without necessitating the creation of new documents.
In case any part of this request is denied or withheld, Prairie State Wire has asked for a specific statutory basis for such denial and requests that all reasonably segregable portions of the records be released. As a member of the media involved in gathering and reporting news, Prairie State Wire has also requested a fee waiver based on their role in holding public institutions accountable and providing transparency.
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 through FOIA and Sunshine Laws. More information about this organization can be found at this link.
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.
