Official Website of the City of Quincy, Illinois

City of Quincy ILLINOIS

City Hall

730 Maine Street

Quincy, IL 62301

217.228.4500

Mon-Fri 8:30 to 4:30

Freedom of Information Act

Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) – Inspection of Public Records Procedures.

The Freedom of Information Act, 5ILCS 140/1 et seq, is the Illinois Statute governing the inspection of public records. This Act provides for the public inspection of records in the possession of the City of Quincy. The Act also includes many exemptions to insure the confidentiality and privacy of certain records.

To make a FOIA request:

To request copies of records or to personally inspect records, a written request shall be mailed, hand delivered, or emailed during City working hours (8:00 AM to 4:30 PM, Monday through Friday) only.

Effective January 1, 2010, the City’s FOIA Officer is:

                Michele Flaiz
                730 Maine Street
                Quincy, IL 62301
                foia@quincyil.gov

Mailed requests shall be deemed received on the business day of their arrival. Emails at times other than the above hours shall be noted as received the business day following their electronic arrival. Please note that the “foia@quincyil.gov” email box is for no other correspondence and is used solely for the receipt of FOIA requests. Anyone attempting to deliver a FOIA request to a department other than to the FOIA Officer will be redirected to the FOIA Officer. Verbal requests will not be processed. We do offer a FOIA request form to requestors which can be accessed by clicking the link at the bottom of this page. Use of our form is not mandatory but we believe you will find it helpful. Wherever possible, we would appreciate having a requestor’s email address. Our preferred method of compliance is email/PDF. It is fastest and least expensive for all concerned.

In general and for non-commercial requests, the City will respond within five (5) working days after the request is received (starting with the 1^st working day after a request is received). In cases where additional time is necessary, an extension letter will be sent within the five (5) day period. In order to expedite all FOIA requests, please be as specific as possible in your explanation of the records you are seeking.

Fees:

All requests obtained through the Freedom of Information Act shall be subject to the following fees: (Except for information obtained from the Quincy Police Department or for Commercial requests)

8 1/2" x 11", 8 1/2" x 14" black and white copies, up to 50 pages:	No fee
8 1/2" x 11", 8 1/2" x 14" black and white copies, over 50 pages:	$0.15 per page after the first 50 pages
All other black and white copies:	Will be charged actual cost to reproduce
All color copies:	Will be charged actual cost to reproduce
All other requests will be charged based on the actual cost of consumables.
All requests requiring outside duplication services will be charged for the actual cost of duplication.

§ 8Records exempt from fees:

Requests to waive the Freedom of Information Act fee must be made in writing to the City’s FOIA officer and must state if the primary purpose of the requested information is to access and disseminate information regarding the health, safety and welfare or the legal rights of the general public and is not for the principal purpose of personal or commercial benefits.

Responses to FOIA requests:

The City will respond in one of the following ways:

1.	If the request is granted, records will be provided in a practicable manner (with email/PDF being the preferred method). In cases where the documents are to be inspected in person, a written response will be sent advising where the documents are located and the period of availability. If a fee is required, the requestor will be informed in advance. The fee must be paid to the City Treasurer’s Office before the records will be released.
2.	A request may be approved in part and denied in part. If a fee is required, the requestor will be informed in advance. The fee must be paid to the City Treasurer’s Office before the records will be released.
3.	If the request is denied, a written response containing the basis for the denial will be sent. The denial will cite the exemption as provided by the Freedom of Information Act.
4.	Very occasionally, the City may invoke an exception to disclosure that must be reviewed by the Public Access Counselor (PAC) appointed by the Illinois Attorney General. If this happens, the FOIA process and the time periods for completion are suspended until the PAC completes their review. Any requestor with such a situation will be notified in writing of the referral to the PAC and the suspension of the time periods.

The policy of the City of Quincy is the prompt disclosure of all non-exempt public information in an orderly and respectful manner. As noted above, we make every effort to fulfill requests by email to save postage and personnel expense. Finally, commercial requests are now treated somewhat differently from “personal” requests.

Freedom of Information Request Form