A Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request was sent to the City of Chillicothe Office/Finance Department on October 25, 2024. The request, issued by us at Peoria Standard, a media organization dedicated to providing comprehensive and accurate news coverage on local governmental affairs, sought detailed records of sales tax collected from retailers.
The specific information requested includes data on sales tax collected from retailers starting from January 1, 2024, up until the present date. We asked for this data to be broken down into several fields. These include the monthly comparison of actual sales tax collected versus projected figures and the number of active retail locations paying sales tax each month.
Additionally, we requested the names of each retailer and their respective gross retail sales reported for each month within the specified period.
As a media organization committed to holding public institutions accountable and providing transparency to the public, access to such public records is essential for us in fulfilling our professional responsibilities. Given our role in disseminating information to the public, we believe we are eligible for a fee waiver as a media professional.
We eagerly await a response from the City of Chillicothe Office/Finance Department regarding this request. This information will help us continue our mission of keeping the public informed about local government activities and financial matters.