FOIA Request to Village of Manteno regarding vendor payment registers on February 1, 2026.
A Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request was submitted to the Village of Manteno by Prairie State Wire, a media organization dedicated to providing thorough and accurate news coverage on local governmental affairs. The request, dated February 1, 2026, seeks access to specific public records under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act, 5 ILCS 140.
The requested records pertain to the village’s vendor payment register for the immediately preceding calendar month. Specifically, Prairie State Wire is seeking information that includes the names of vendors paid by the city, dates and amounts of payments made, and descriptions of goods or services purchased during that period. The request emphasizes that it is limited to existing records and does not require the creation of new documents.
Prairie State Wire has requested these records in electronic format if available. Additionally, they have expressed their eligibility for a fee waiver as members of the media involved in gathering and reporting news to the public. The organization is part of The Coalition Opposing Governmental Secrecy, which assists media companies and advocacy groups in investigating governmental agencies through FOIA requests.
The requestor has also asked for any denied portions of this request to be accompanied by a specific statutory basis for denial while releasing all reasonably segregable portions of the records.
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.
