FOIA Request to Village of Peotone regarding employee overtime records on February 1, 2026.
A Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request was submitted to the Village of Peotone by Prairie State Wire, a media organization focused on local governmental affairs. The request, sent on February 1, 2026, seeks access to the village’s employee overtime records for the immediately preceding calendar month.
The specific information requested includes the name and job title of each employee, their department or office, the dates and number of overtime hours worked, and the compensation paid for such overtime. The request emphasizes that it seeks existing records only and does not require the creation of new documents. Prairie State Wire has expressed a preference for receiving this information in electronic format.
The purpose of this request is to gather information of public interest for dissemination to the public. Prairie State Wire has also indicated that they are seeking a fee waiver due to their role as a media organization involved in reporting news and holding public institutions accountable. Additionally, they have stated that if any part of the request is denied or withheld, they expect an explanation citing the specific statutory basis for such denial.
Prairie State Wire 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 requests. 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.
