A Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request was sent to the City of Washington, Illinois on October 30, 2024. The request was made by us at Peoria Standard, a media organization committed to providing comprehensive and accurate news coverage on local governmental affairs.
In our pursuit of transparency and accountability in public institutions, we have requested specific records under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act. Specifically, we are seeking information about all new residential and commercial building permits issued from January 1, 2023, up until the present date. The fields we have asked for include the type of permit, date issued, fee paid, requester's name, address of the property in question, and contractor's name.
Additionally, we have also requested a list of all active residential and commercial building permits along with their current status. The same fields as mentioned above were requested for these active permits as well.
As members of the media engaged in gathering and reporting news to the public, access to such public records is crucial for us to fulfill our professional responsibilities. We believe that this access will enable us to provide a more transparent view of local government operations to our readership.
Given our role in disseminating information to the public, we have requested a fee waiver as a media professional. We await a response from the City of Washington regarding this matter.
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