West Central Reporter

A public oversight group wants a state's attorney to prosecute the Effingham County Board after it failed to comply with a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.

The request, sent to the board by the Edgar County Watchdogs at the end of March, asked for paperwork related to the county's recently signed ambulance contract. As of April 14, the request had not been answered, the group said on its Illinois Leaks website.

The FOIA asked for documentation calling for the special meeting at which the agreement was approved, a newspaper announcement that the meeting would be held, and documentation on the meeting itself, including a recording of the entire meeting, the meeting’s agenda and a copy of the settlement that was acted upon, as well as the email addresses of the county’s elected officials. All of these are required by law.

County boards have five days to respond to such requests. After Effingham exceeded the deadline by several days, the ECW asked Effingham County State’s Attorney Brian Kibler to intercede.

Kibler said Effingham County Clerk Kerry Hirtzel has said the county will respond to the request via email. The ECW posted a response on its website, asking for Kibler to follow through by filing charges against the board for violating FOIA rules.