FOIA Request to Village of Westchester regarding vendor payment registers on February 1, 2026.
A Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request was submitted to the Village of Westchester by Prairie State Wire, a media organization focused on local governmental affairs. The request seeks access to the city’s vendor payment register for the immediately preceding calendar month. This includes records that detail the names of vendors paid by the city, dates and amounts of payments, and descriptions of goods or services purchased.
The request emphasizes that it is aimed at gathering information of public interest for dissemination purposes. It specifies that only existing records are sought and does not require the creation of new documents. Additionally, if any part of the request is denied, a specific statutory basis for denial is requested along with all reasonably segregable portions of the records.
Prairie State Wire has expressed willingness to receive these records in electronic format and has requested a fee waiver due to its role as a media professional entity involved in holding public institutions accountable and providing transparency.
The requester is affiliated with The Coalition Opposing Governmental Secrecy, a non-profit organization dedicated to assisting media companies and advocacy groups in investigating governmental agencies through FOIA and Sunshine Laws. More information about this coalition can be found on their website here.
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.
