FOIA Requests

Compliance Officers are designated in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act, Open Meetings Act, and Americans with Disabilities Act.  It is an important duty of government to provide information and services strengthened by these Acts.

Illinois Attorney General Website

Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)

The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) is a state statute (5 ILCS 104/1-140/11) that provides an easy-to-use method for the public to gain access to government records. Any person who wishes to inspect or obtain copies of public records from the Village of South Barrington shall follow the procedures below, in accordance with the Illinois Freedom of Information Act.

Purpose

The purpose is to promote transparency of government by responding to requests for information with all due expediency.

Requests

The Village has a convenient easy-to-use Records Request Submittal Form below. You may also choose to download a Records Request Form and send it by email to foia-vh@southbarrington.org . Record requests can also be made in-person during regular business hours, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.. If you choose to call in a records request, please call 847-381-7510 and inform staff you are seeking to place a records request over the phone.

If you would like the records to be emailed or mailed to you, please provide emailing/mailing information on your request form. Please also provide a detailed description of the record being sought and whether the request is for commercial or non-commercial use.

Non-commercial, non-exempt information will receive a response within five (5) business days after the receipt of the written request, unless additional time is required, as allowed by FOIA. The requester will be notified by mail, email or phone within five (5) business days if an extension is required. Commercial, non-exempt requests will receive a response within twenty-one (21) business days.

Items That Do Not Require a FOIA Request

If you are trying to obtain minutes, resolutions, ordinances, copies of liquor licenses, and previous and current year budgets, you are not required to fill out a request form. Please notify the Village you are seeking to obtain these documents so that they can be provided.

Cost

For black and white, letter or legal size copies (8 1/2″ x 11″ or 11″ x 14″), the first 50 pages are free.  Additional pages can cost no more than .15 cents per page.  For color copies or oversized copies, the actual cost of copying is charged. A FOIA Officer will inform you of any cost associated with reproduction of your requested records. You will be required to submit payment prior to copying of any additional records or color or oversized copies. There is no charge for digital (scanned) records which can be provided to the requester in digital format.

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

In accordance with the requirements of Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (“ADA”), the Village of South Barrington will not discriminate against qualified individuals with disabilities on the basis of disability in its services, programs, or activities.

Employment

The Village of South Barrington does not discriminate on the basis of disability in its hiring or employment practices and complies with all regulations promulgated by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission under Title I of the ADA.

Effective Communication

The Village of South Barrington will generally, upon request, provide appropriate aids and services leading to effective communication for qualified persons with disabilities so they can participate equally in the Village of South Barrington’s programs, services, and activities, including qualified sign language interpreters, documents in Braille, and other ways of making information and communications accessible to people who have speech, hearing, or vision impairments.

Modifications to Policies and Procedures

The Village of South Barrington will make all reasonable modifications to policies and programs to ensure that people with disabilities have an equal opportunity to enjoy all of its programs, services, and activities. For example, individuals with service animals are welcomed in the Village of South Barrington offices, even where pets are generally prohibited.

Anyone who requires an auxiliary aid or service for effective communication, or a modification of policies or procedures to participate in a program, service, or activity of the Village of South Barrington, should contact the Building Officer Damian Michalski, 30 South Barrington Road, South Barrington, IL, 847-381-7513, as soon as possible but no later than 48 hours before the scheduled event.

The ADA does not require the Village of South Barrington to take any action that would fundamentally alter the nature of its programs or services, or impose an undue financial or administrative burden.

Complaints

Complaints that a program, service, or activity of the Village of South Barrington is not accessible to persons with disabilities should be directed to Building Officer, Damian Michalski, 30 South Barrington Road, South Barrington, IL, 847-381-7513.

The Village of South Barrington will not place a surcharge on a particular individual with a disability or any group of individuals with disabilities to cover the cost of providing auxiliary aids/services or reasonable modifications of policy, such as retrieving items from locations that are open to the public but are not accessible to persons who use wheelchairs.