A Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request was sent to Calumet City on October 30, 2024. The request, issued by South Cook News, a media organization committed to providing comprehensive and accurate news coverage on local governmental affairs, sought detailed information about residential and commercial building permits.
Specifically, the request asked for a list of all new residential and commercial building permits issued from January 1, 2023 till the date of the request. The details requested included the type of permit, date issued, fee paid, requester's name, address of the property in question and the contractor's name.
In addition to this, South Cook News 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 well.
The request was made under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act, 5 ILCS 140. South Cook News preferred receiving this information in an electronic format.
As part of our role in disseminating information to the public and holding public institutions accountable, we at South Cook News believe that access to such public records is essential. Given our professional responsibilities as a media organization, we have also requested for a fee waiver for this information.
We are currently awaiting a response from Calumet City regarding this FOIA request.
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