Winnebago Co., Ill. (ECWd) –
Compliance with FOIA is not optional.
The Veterans Assistance Commission of Winnebago County (“VACWC”) has been ignoring Freedom of Information Act (“FOIA”) requests for public records.
On January 30, 2026, we sent a FOIA request to the VACWC for “copies of complaints and grievances filed against the Interim Superintendent, copies of any termination letters, notices, emails, or anything else terminating the employment of any employee, and copies of email addresses of all commissioners.”
A public body has 5 business days to respond to a FOIA request by either denying it or providing the requested records. This has not happened and it has been nearly a month, with a follow-up email sent by us on February 23, 2026, explaining they needed to provide the records or face legal action. The follow-up email was also ignored – even though the Winnebago County State’s Attorney’s office was CC’d in both emails.
Obviously, we will not tolerate any public body ignoring FOIA requests.
