More FOIA problems for a non-Chicago Illinois city. This time, the village of Sparland, near Peoria, was found “in violation” of state FOIA law following a complaint from a resident whose request for meeting agendas was ignored.
Village Clerk Cora Ulrich told the Journal Star: “I guess I’ve been baptized” in the role of FOIA officer. The village hadn’t previously appointed anyone for the task, it seems.
Although there was no penalty, the complaint led to conference calls involving village officials, the village attorney and an assistant attorney general on how to handle such matters, Ulrich told the board. Among other things, local officials learned that the law requires each public body to have a designated official to respond to FOIA requests.
Tracking this story for the Star is Gary L. Smith. Follow him on Twitter @Glsmithx.