FOIA Request to Village of Oakwood Hills regarding procurement bids and RFP submissions on February 1, 2026.
The McHenry Times has submitted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the Village of Oakwood Hills. The request seeks access to records related to procurement bids and responses to requests for proposals (RFPs) received by the city during the immediately preceding calendar month. This request is made under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act, 5 ILCS 140, with a preference for receiving the information in electronic format.
The requested records include details such as solicitation or project titles, names of bidders or proposers, submission dates, bid amounts or proposed costs, and descriptions of the goods or services proposed. The purpose of this request is to gather information of public interest for dissemination to the public. It is emphasized that this request is limited to existing records and does not require the creation of new documents.
The McHenry Times has also requested a fee waiver based on their role as a media organization involved in gathering and reporting news to the public. They assert that access to these public records is essential for fulfilling their professional responsibilities, which include holding public institutions accountable and providing transparency.
This FOIA request was submitted by a member affiliated with The Coalition Opposing Governmental Secrecy, a non-profit organization that assists media companies and advocacy groups in investigating governmental agencies through Freedom of Information and Sunshine Laws. More information about this organization 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.
