The Chicago Justice Project has two volunteer driven research projects that involve tracking the activities of different committees of the Chicago City Council through accessing Clerk data. This FOIA request was submitted because if you check the website for the Clerk you are only able to obtain agendas from committee meetings going back to the end of 2010.
Our research projects are tracking the activities of the Committee on Police & Fire now named the Committee on Public Safety and the Committee on Finance from 2000 through 2020.
So we had to submit a FOIA request to the Clerk to obtain copies of their agendas beyond what they had available online.
Here is the content of the request.
To: Office of the Chicago City Clerk
Re: Agenda Items for the Committee on Public Safety & Committee on Finance
In accordance with the Illinois Freedom of Information Act, 5 ILCS 140, I request that your office provide the following public records:
FOIA A
Please provide copies of agendas for all meetings of the Committee on Public Safety, any subcommittee there of, or joint meeting with any other committee for the years of 2000-2010.
FOIA B
Please provide copies of agendas for all meetings of the Committee on Finance, any subcommittee there of, or joint meeting with any other committee for the years of 2000-2010.
INSTRUCTIONS
If the agency withholds any document or information pertinent to the requests made herein, please identify the document or information in as much detail as is possible, and detail in specific language why each document or piece of information is being withheld.
If any information requested herein is withheld on the basis of a claim of privilege or other protection as material prepared in anticipation of litigation or trial, then that claim shall be made expressly in a writing that describes the nature of the Documents, Communications, or Things not produced or disclosed in a manner that will enable us to assess the applicability of the privilege or protection. With regard to each claim of privilege or protection, the following information should be provided in the response or the objection:
(a) the type of Document, e.g., letter or memorandum;
(b) general subject matter of the Document;
(c) the date of the Document;
(d) such other information as is sufficient to identify the Document for a subpoena duces tecum, including, where appropriate, the author, addressee, and any other recipient of the Document, and, where not apparent, the relationship of the author, addressee, and any other recipient to each other; and
(e) the nature of the privilege or protection;
(f) if applicable, the litigation or trial of which he document was created in anticipation.
If any Document identified herein has been lost, discarded, or destroyed, each such Document should be identified as completely as possible, including as to each such Document, its date, general nature (e.g., letter, memorandum, telegram, telex, photograph, computer printout), subject matter, each author or originator, each person indicated as an addressee or copy recipient, and its former custodian(s). In addition, as to each such Document, the following information shall be supplied:
(a) date of disposal, loss, or destruction;
(b) manner of disposal, loss, or destruction;
(c) reason for disposal or destruction, or any explanation of loss;
(d) persons authorizing the disposal or destruction;
(e) persons having knowledge of the disposal, destruction, or loss; and
(f) persons who destroyed, lost, or disposed or the Document or Thing.
I look forward to hearing from you in writing within five working days, as required by the Act 5 ILCS 140(3). Please direct all questions or responses to this FOIA request to this email address by responding to this email. I can be reached at tsiska@chicagojustice.org
Tracy Siska
