[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Village
of Westville 3-9-2010 by Ord. No.
10-1399 (Ch. 15 of the 2015 Code). Amendments noted
where applicable.]
A.
The Village Clerk was duly named as FOIA Officer for the Village
of Westville by a majority vote at the January 12, 2010, regular meeting
and is therefore hereby designated as the FOIA Officer to whom all
initial requests for access to the records of the Village, except
for Westville Police Department records, are to be referred. Such
requests are to be made at the offices of the Village Clerk at Westville,
Illinois, between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m., Monday through
Friday, at 201 North State Street Westville, IL 61883, or by regular
mail or by e-mail to westville@avenuebroadband.com. In the event that
the Village Clerk is not available during the times and/or methods
described above or due to illness or vacation, the Village Treasurer
is designated as the Deputy FOIA Officer to whom such initial requests
are to be made. Except in instances when records are furnished immediately,
the FOIA Officer, or her designees, shall receive requests submitted
to the Village under the Freedom of Information Act, ensure that the
Village responds to requests in a timely fashion, and issue responses
under the Act. The FOIA Officer shall develop a list of documents
or categories of records that the Village shall immediately disclose
upon request.
B.
The Village of Westville Police Chief was duly named as FOIA Officer
for the Westville Police Department by a majority vote at the January
12, 2010, regular meeting and is therefore hereby designated as the
FOIA Officer to whom all initial requests for access to the records
of the Police Department are to be referred. Such requests are to
be made at the offices of the Westville Police Department at 200 Washington
Street, Westville, Illinois, 61883 between the hours of 6:00 a.m.
and 2:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, or by regular mail or by e-mail
to westvillepolice@avenuebroadband.com. In the event that the Village of
Westville Police Chief is not available during the times described
above or due to illness or vacation, the Police Captain is designated
as the Deputy FOIA Officer to whom such initial requests are to be
made. Except in instances when records are furnished immediately,
the FOIA Officer, or his designees, shall receive requests submitted
to the Westville Police Department under the Freedom of Information
Act, ensure that the Police Department responds to requests in a timely
fashion, and issue responses under the Act. The FOIA Officer for the
Police Department shall develop a list of documents or categories
of records that the Police Department shall immediately disclose upon
request.
Upon receiving a request for a public record, the FOIA Officers
shall:
A.
Note the date the written request is received;
B.
Compute the day on which the period for response will expire and
make a notation of that date on the written request;
C.
Maintain an electronic or paper copy of a written request, including
all documents submitted with the request, until the request has been
complied with or denied; and
D.
Create a file for the retention of the original request, a copy of
the response, a record of written communications with the requester,
and a copy of other communications.
The FOIA Officers and Deputy FOIA Officers shall, within six
months after January 1, 2010, successfully complete an electronic
training curriculum to be developed by the Public Access Counselor
of the State of Illinois and thereafter successfully complete an annual
training program. Whenever a new Freedom of Information Officer is
designated by the Village, that person shall successfully complete
the electronic training curriculum within 30 days after assuming the
position.
Any records which are the subject of a request under the Freedom
of Information Act shall be retrieved from such place as they are
stored, by the FOIA Officer, or by an employee of the Village acting
under the direction of the FOIA Officer. In no event shall records
be retrieved by the party requesting them or by any person who is
not employed by the Village.
If copies of records are requested, the fees for such copies,
whether certified or not, shall be as determined from time to time
by the FOIA Officer pursuant to Section 6(b) of the Freedom of Information
Act (5 ILCS 140/6). The Village Clerk shall maintain a written schedule
of current fees in the Clerk's office. The fees so charged shall reflect
the actual cost of copying the records, and the cost of certifying
copies, if certification is requested.
In the event that a request to inspect Village records is denied
by the FOIA Officer, the denial may be appealed to the Public Access
Counselor of the State of Illinois.
The Village Clerk shall prepare A) a Village Information Directory;
B) a block diagram of the functional subdivisions of the Village;
C) a Village Records Directory; and D) a Records Catalog, all of which
shall be substantially in the same form as the document attached hereto
and made a part hereof as Exhibits A, B, C, and D.[1] This information shall also be posted on the Village's
website.
[1]
Editor's Note: The documents are available in the Village
offices.