Delay appears to be the main method of operation for the leadership of the City of Carlinville, according to the Edgar County Watchdogs (ECW), a a government oversight group.
After submitting a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request with the city months ago and hitting a roadblock, the ECW turned to the Illinois attorney general's office. That office sent letters regarding the situation to Carlinville City Clerk Carla Brockmeier, the ECW said.
But as of April 14, no material has been provided by the city.
ECW co-founder John Kraft said the city's attorney, Daniel Schuering, had deemed the FOIA request "commercial" and an upfront payment of $200 was required before the city would compile the requested materials.
Kraft filed his review request with the attorney general regarding both the attorney's claim that the request was commercial in nature and the fact that the city had not responded within the required five business days.
The attorney general's office sent a letter to Schuering, and a reply was required within seven business days.
The ECW reported on its Illinois Leaks website that the Carlinville city council recently directed the attorney to provide the records for all FOIA requests made before April 3. He was told to supply those records by April 7. Kraft said he has not received any records as of Thursday.
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