FOIA Request to Village of Berkeley regarding vendor payment registers on February 1, 2026.
A Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request was submitted to the Village of Berkeley by West Cook News on February 1, 2026. The request seeks access to the village’s vendor payment register for the immediately preceding calendar month. This request is made under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act, 5 ILCS 140, and aims to gather information that holds public interest for dissemination.
The specific records requested include 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 seeks existing records only and does not require the creation of new documents. Additionally, if any part of this request is denied or withheld, a statutory basis for such denial is requested along with all reasonably segregable portions of the records.
West Cook News has expressed a preference for receiving these records in electronic format if available. As a media organization dedicated to holding public institutions accountable and providing transparency, they have also requested a fee waiver citing their role in gathering and reporting news to the public.
The requestor is affiliated with The Coalition Opposing Governmental Secrecy, a non-profit organization that assists media companies and advocacy groups in investigating governmental agencies using FOIA and Sunshine Laws. 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.
