FOIA Request to City of Wheaton Finance Department Regarding Sales Tax Records on October 25, 2024. The DuPage Policy Journal, a media organization dedicated to providing comprehensive and accurate news coverage on local governmental affairs, has sent a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the City of Wheaton's Finance Department.
The request specifically seeks records under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act, 5 ILCS 140. The information sought includes data on sales tax collected from retailers from January 1, 2024, till the present date. This data is expected to provide insight into the financial health and economic activity within the city.
The detailed fields requested include monthly comparisons of actual sales tax collected versus projected figures and the number of active retail locations paying sales tax each month. Additionally, names and gross retail sales reported by each retailer for every month are also requested.
As a media organization committed to holding public institutions accountable and providing transparency to the public, we believe access to these public records is essential for fulfilling our professional responsibilities. Given our role in disseminating information, we have also requested a fee waiver as a media professional.
We await the response from the City of Wheaton's Finance Department and will continue to work towards providing comprehensive coverage on local governmental affairs.