FOIA Request to Village Of Williamsfield regarding procurement bids and RFP submissions on February 1, 2026.
A Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request was submitted by the Galesburg Reporter to the Village Of Williamsfield. The request seeks access to records concerning procurement bids and responses to requests for proposals (RFPs) received by the city during the immediately preceding calendar month. This inquiry aims to gather information of public interest for dissemination.
The requested records include several specific details: 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 request is confined to existing documents and does not necessitate the creation of new records.
The Galesburg Reporter has expressed a preference for receiving these records in electronic format if available. Additionally, they have requested that any denial or withholding of information be accompanied by a specific statutory basis for such actions, with all reasonably segregable portions of the records released.
As members of the media, we are involved in gathering and reporting news to hold public institutions accountable and provide transparency. Access to public records is crucial for fulfilling these responsibilities. Consequently, we believe we qualify for a fee waiver as media professionals.
This request is supported by The Coalition Opposing Governmental Secrecy, a non-profit organization that aids media companies and advocacy groups in investigating governmental agencies through FOIA and Sunshine Laws. More information about this coalition can be found at 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.
