FOIA Request to Clay County regarding procurement bids and RFP submissions on February 1, 2026.
A Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request was submitted to the Clay County Treasurer’s Office by East Central Reporter, a media organization dedicated to providing comprehensive news coverage on local governmental affairs. The request, dated February 1, 2026, seeks access to records related to procurement bids and responses to requests for proposals (RFPs) received by the county during the immediately preceding calendar month.
The requested records include details such as solicitation or project titles, names of bidders or proposers, submission dates, bid amounts or proposed costs, and descriptions of the goods or services proposed. The request emphasizes that it is limited to existing records and does not necessitate the creation of new documents. Additionally, East Central Reporter has expressed a preference for receiving these records in electronic format if available.
The purpose of this FOIA request is to gather information of public interest for dissemination. As members of the media, East Central Reporter highlights their role in holding public institutions accountable and providing transparency to the public. They have also requested a fee waiver based on their status as media professionals.
East Central Reporter is affiliated with The Coalition Opposing Governmental Secrecy, a non-profit organization that assists media companies and advocacy groups in investigating governmental agencies through Freedom of Information and Sunshine Laws. More information about this coalition can be found on their website at https://stopsecrecy.org/about/.
Clay County is located in Illinois and had an average student-to-teacher ratio of 13-to-1 during the 2022-23 school year. The county’s schools enrolled 2,195 students with 173 full-time faculty members.
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.
