A Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request was submitted to the City Of Highland Park Finance Department regarding sales tax records on October 25, 2024. The request was made by us at the Lake County Gazette, a media organization committed to providing comprehensive and accurate news coverage on local governmental affairs.
The records requested under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act, 5 ILCS 140, include detailed information about sales tax collected from retailers since the beginning of the year up until today's date. Specifically, we asked for data on sales tax collected from retailers by month versus projected figures, the number of active retail locations paying sales tax by month, and names of each retailer along with their gross retail sales reported each month.
As a media organization dedicated to gathering and reporting news to the public, access to these public records is essential for us to fulfill our professional responsibilities. These responsibilities include holding public institutions accountable and providing transparency to the public. We believe that as media professionals disseminating information, we are eligible for a fee waiver.
We await a response from the City Of Highland Park Finance Department regarding this request.
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