FOIA

The Freedom of Information Act is the principal Illinois law governing the inspection of public records. It is a pro-disclosure statute originally enacted on July 1, 1984. This important open-government law is grounded in the principle that the public should be able to access public records and information about the workings of their government.

Many City records can be accessed on the City's website or through the City's electronic record management system, which is called Laserfiche. 

Historical City records 

Username: Public Web Access

Password is: pa

Recordings of public City meetings 

For other City records or public information, complete a  Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Request Form. The City has five working days to respond to a request, subject to a time extension per 5 ILCS 140/3(d). The City has 21 working days to respond to a commercial request per 5 ILCS 140/3.1 and for a recurrent requester, response time is subject to provisions detailed in 5 ILCS 140/3.1(a-c).

FOIA Schedule of Fees for Duplication of Public Records 

• The first 50 pages for black and white, letter or legal sized pages, shall be provided free of charge.
• The charge for any additional black and white letter or legal sized pages shall be $0.15 per page.
• The charge for copies in color, or in a size other than letter or legal, will be the City's actual cost for reproducing said colored or oversized records. Prepayment for duplicating any oversized materials will be required.

The charge for certifying records shall be $1, which is in addition to the copying fee. There will be no charge to inspect any City records.

Schedule of Fees (PDF)