A Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request was sent to the City of Carlinville on October 30, 2024. The request was made by South Central Reporter, a media organization committed to providing comprehensive and accurate news coverage on local governmental affairs.
The FOIA request specifically sought records of all new residential and commercial building permits issued from January 1, 2023, up until the date of the request. The information requested included the type of permit, date issued, fee paid, requester’s name, address, and contractor’s name.
In addition to this, South Central Reporter also requested a list of all active residential and commercial building permits along with their current status. The same fields as mentioned above were asked for these active permits.
As part of our mission at South Central Reporter to hold public institutions accountable and provide transparency to the public, we believe access to such public records is essential. We also stated in our request that given our role in disseminating information to the public, we are eligible for a fee waiver as a media professional.
We are currently awaiting a response from the City of Carlinville regarding this FOIA request.
