A Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request was sent to the City of Arcola regarding building permits on October 30, 2024. The request was made by us at East Central Reporter, a media organization dedicated to providing comprehensive and accurate news coverage on local governmental affairs.
In our pursuit of transparency and accountability, we requested specific records under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act, 5 ILCS 140. We asked for these records in an electronic format for ease of access and dissemination.
The details we sought include a list of all new residential and commercial building permits issued from January 1, 2023, up until the date of the request. The fields we requested for each permit are as follows: type of permit, date issued, fee paid, requester's name, address where the work is being done, and contractor's name.
Additionally, we also requested a list of all active residential and commercial building permits along with their current status. The same fields were asked for these active permits as well.
As members of the media engaged in gathering and reporting news to the public, access to public records is essential for us to fulfill our professional responsibilities. These responsibilities include holding public institutions accountable and providing transparency to the public. Given our role in disseminating information, we believe we are eligible for a fee waiver as media professionals.
We await a response from the City of Arcola and look forward to sharing this information with our readers once it becomes available.
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