FOIA

Freedom of Information Act for
Offices under the President

About Cook County and the Offices under the President

• Overview of Cook County

• Organizational Chart for Cook County

• Overview of the Office of the President

• Organizational Chart for the Offices under the Jurisdiction of the President

Freedom of Information Requests for Offices Under the President

Members of the public may make requests for inspection or for copies of public records for the Offices Under the President under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act (“FOIA”), 5 ILCS 140/1 et seq. This Act provides that some records are exempt from inspection and copying.

All Freedom of Information requests submitted to Cook County for Offices under the Jurisdiction of the President must include the following information:

1. The name, mailing address and contact information of the requester;
2. A description of the records that are being requested;
3. Whether the request is for commercial purposes.

    

• Listing of Offices under the President

• FOIA Request form for Offices under the Jurisdiction of the County Board President
  Use of the County’s Freedom of Information Request Form is encouraged, but not required.

• Cook County FOIA Information - for requests to other County offices

• Illinois Freedom of Information Act  "FOIA" (Illinois General Assembly - 5 ILCS 140/1 et seq)

President's Office Policy on FOIA Requests  

1. All requests must be made in writing and should specifically state which public records are desired for inspection and/or copying. The written request should include the requester’s full name and/or organization, address, telephone number and e-mail address to facilitate communication, discussion regarding the specific information requested and timely responses. 

2. No request will be considered “received” by the office until it is physically received by the Freedom of Information Act Officer at the above address, fax or e-mail. 

3. For non-commercial requests, a response will be made within 5 business days after receipt of this request. The response may be extended for an additional 5 business days; you will receive a written response stating the reason for the extension. 

4. For all commercial requests, a response will be made within 21 business days after receipt of this request with an estimated completion date and a fee estimate. Unless the records are exempt, the request will be completed within a reasonable time period based on the size and complexity of the request. Priority shall be given to records requested for non-commercial purposes.

5. There is no fee for the first 50 pages of black and white, letter or legal sized copies. The President’s Office (the “Office”) requires a fee of 15 cents per page for each page of a request that is more than 50 pages.    The requestor must pay the copying fee before the Office will release the requested copies. For large requests over 200 pages, the Office reserves the right to utilize an outside copying service and require the requestor to pay a fee of 15 cents per page to the copying service for requests in excess 50 pages. For requests of color documents and oversized documents, the Office reserves the right to charge its actual reproduction costs.

6. If a person requests a copy of a record maintained in an electronic format, the Office will furnish the record in the electronic format specified by the requester, if feasible. If it is not feasible to furnish the record in the specified electronic format, then the Office will furnish it in the format in which it is maintained or in paper format, at the option of the requester. The requester must reimburse the office for the actual cost of the recording medium, whether disc, diskette, or other medium.                

7. Cook County provides immediate and/or online access to:

   • Budget and Financial Information

   • Board and Committee Meeting Records

   • Information on Board meetings, proceedings, elected officials, administrative officials

   Additional available online resources and information can be found in the OpenCounty section of the County's website.

8. If your request is denied, you will receive a written response stating the reason for the denial. Denial appeals should be sent to the  Attorney General’s Public Access Counselor.
9. Requests for information are public information; the President’s Office may notify its Using Departments of a request prior to the release of information and reserves the right to notify any other applicable using agency or individual regarding the nature of the request prior to or after release of information.  A log of Freedom of Information Requests submitted to the Office of the President, including the disposition of such requests can be found http://data.cookcountyil.gov.