Peoria Standard

FOIA Request to Mason County regarding tax relief requests for a veteran with disabilities on June 10, 2025.

A Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request was submitted to Mason County, Illinois, by the Peoria Standard on June 10, 2025. The request seeks access to records related to property tax relief and exemptions for veterans with disabilities and their surviving spouses. Specifically, the request includes documents from Tax Year 2024 through the present that detail individuals who have requested or received:

- Property Tax Relief as a Veteran with a Disability or as a Surviving Spouse of a Disabled Veteran.

- A Specially Adapted Housing Exemption for Veterans with Disabilities under 35 ILCS 200/15-165.

- A Standard Homestead Exemption for Veterans with Disabilities under 35 ILCS 200/15-169.

- A Returning Veteran’s Homestead Exemption under 35 ILCS 200/15-172.

The Peoria Standard is a media organization dedicated to providing comprehensive news coverage on local governmental affairs. The organization emphasizes the importance of access to public records in fulfilling its responsibility to hold public institutions accountable and ensure transparency. As part of this effort, they have requested these records in electronic format and are seeking a fee waiver due to their status as a media entity.

Mason County, located in Illinois, had an average student-to-teacher ratio of 12-to-1 during the 2022-23 school year. The county's schools enrolled approximately 2,345 students and employed around 202 full-time faculty members.

The FOIA requestor is affiliated with The Coalition Opposing Governmental Secrecy, a non-profit organization that aids media companies and advocacy groups in investigating governmental agencies through Freedom of Information and Sunshine Laws. More information about this coalition can be found on their website: https://stopsecrecy.org/about/.

Our team will continue to keep you updated as we gather and report news related to this request and other matters of public interest. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions or need further clarification regarding this matter.