Dolton, Ill. (ECWd) –

On February 9, 2024, the Illinois Attorney General’s Public Access Counselor (“PAC”) issued a rare Binding Opinion directing the Village of Dolton to respond to FOIA requests.

On November 29, 2023, Investigative Reporter Andrew Schroedter, WGN-TV, asked the village of Dolton to provide copies of various public records, including those related to payments made to Tiffany Henyard, leases for Henyard’s village vehicle, and credit card statements.

After receiving no response from the village (it is routine for Dolton to not respond), he asked the AG’s PAC to review the FOIA denial and render an opinion.

The village refused to respond to the AG’s inquiry.

“Therefore, it is the opinion of the Attorney General that the Village of Dolton has violated section 3(d) of FOIA by failing, within the statutory time for responding to Mr. Schroedter’s November 29, 2023, FOIA request, to provide copies of the requested records or to deny the request in writing in whole or in part. Accordingly, the Village is hereby directed to take immediate and appropriate action to comply with this opinion by providing Mr. Schroedter with copies of all records responsive to each part of the November 29, 2023 , request, subject only to permissible redactions, if any . . .“

The AG’s Binding Opinion #24-002 is below:

24-002