FOIA Request to Village of Harwood Heights regarding vendor payment registers on February 1, 2026.
The Prairie State Wire has submitted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the Village of Harwood Heights. The request seeks access to the village’s vendor payment register for the immediately preceding calendar month. This request was sent on February 1, 2026, under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act, 5 ILCS 140.
The records requested include detailed information about payments made by the city during the specified month. Specifically, the request asks for:
– Names of vendors paid by the city
– Dates and amounts of payments
– Descriptions of goods or services purchased
This information is sought for public interest purposes and aims to enhance transparency in local governmental affairs. The Prairie State Wire emphasizes that this request pertains only to existing records and does not require the creation of new documents. The organization has expressed a preference for receiving these records in electronic format if available.
In case any part of this request is denied or withheld, the requester has asked for a specific statutory basis for such denial and requests that all reasonably segregable portions of the records be released. Additionally, as members of the media, they have requested a fee waiver due to their role in gathering and disseminating news to hold public institutions accountable.
The Prairie State Wire is affiliated with The Coalition Opposing Governmental Secrecy, a non-profit organization dedicated to investigating governmental agencies and promoting transparency through FOIA and Sunshine Laws. More information about this coalition 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.
