A Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request was sent to the City Of Countryside Finance Department in Illinois regarding sales tax records on October 25, 2024. The request was made by West Cook News, a media organization dedicated to providing comprehensive and accurate news coverage on local governmental affairs.
The specific information requested under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act, 5 ILCS 140, includes sales tax collected from retailers from January 1, 2024 till the present date. We at West Cook News have asked for this data in electronic format and with certain specific fields.
These fields include the monthly comparison of actual sales tax collected from retailers versus projected figures. Additionally, we have requested for the number of active retail locations paying sales tax each month and the names of each retailer along with their gross retail sales reported for each month.
As a media organization committed to transparency and holding public institutions accountable, we believe that access to these public records is essential in fulfilling our professional responsibilities. Therefore, we have also requested a fee waiver as a media professional.
We will continue to keep our readers updated as we receive more information.