A Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request was sent to the City of South Beloit concerning residential and commercial building permits on October 30, 2024. The request was made by us at Rockford Sun, a media organization dedicated to providing comprehensive and accurate news coverage on local governmental affairs.
The FOIA request specifically asked for a list of all new residential and commercial building permits issued from January 1, 2023, up until the present date. The requested information includes the type of permit, date issued, fee paid, requester's name, address, and contractor's name.
In addition to this, we also requested a list of all active residential and commercial building permits along with their current status. The same details as above were asked for these active permits.
As a media organization committed to holding public institutions accountable and providing transparency to the public, we believe that access to such records is essential in fulfilling our professional responsibilities. We have also applied for a fee waiver as a media professional under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act.
We are awaiting response from the City of South Beloit regarding this FOIA request.