FOIA Request to City of Winchester Regarding Building Permits on October 30, 2024.
The West Central Reporter, a media organization committed to providing comprehensive and accurate news coverage on local governmental affairs, has submitted a request for records under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act (5 ILCS 140).
We are seeking information in electronic format regarding all new residential and commercial building permits issued from January 1, 2023, till the present date. The specific fields we have requested include the type of permit, date issued, fee paid, requester's name, address of the project, and contractor's name.
In addition to this data set, we are also requesting a list of all currently active residential and commercial building permits along with their status. The same fields as mentioned above are requested for these active permits.
As a media organization involved in gathering and reporting news to the public, access to public records is essential for us to fulfill our professional responsibilities. These responsibilities include holding public institutions accountable and providing transparency to the public. Given our role in disseminating information, we believe we are eligible for a fee waiver as media professionals.
We await a response from the City of Winchester regarding this request.