(A) When a request is made to inspect or copy a public record that contains information that is exempt from disclosure under this section, but also contains information that is not exempt from disclosure, the county may elect to redact the information that is exempt. The county shall make the remaining information available for inspection and copying. Subject to this requirement, the following shall be exempt from inspection and copying:
(1) Information specifically prohibited from disclosure by federal or state law or rules and regulations implementing federal or state law.
(2) Private information, unless disclosure is required by another provision of this chapter, a state or federal law or a court order.
(3) Files, documents, and other data or databases maintained by one or more law enforcement agencies and specifically designed to provide information to one or more law enforcement agencies regarding the physical or mental status of one or more individual subjects.
(4) Personal information contained within public records, the disclosure of which would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy, unless the disclosure is consented to in writing by the individual subjects of the information.
UNWARRANTED INVASION OF PERSONAL PRIVACY means the disclosure of information that is highly personal or objectionable to a reasonable person and in which the subject's right to privacy outweighs any legitimate public interest in obtaining the information. The disclosure of information that bears on the public duties of public employees and officials shall not be considered an invasion of personal privacy.
(5) Records in the possession of the county created in the course of administrative enforcement proceedings, and any law enforcement or correctional agency for law, enforcement purposes, but only to the extent that disclosure would:
(a) Interfere with pending or actually and reasonably contemplated law enforcement proceedings conducted by any law enforcement or correctional agency that is the recipient of the request;
(b) Interfere with active administrative enforcement proceedings conducted by the county that is the recipient of the request;
(c) Create a substantial likelihood that a person will be deprived of a fair trial or an impartial hearing;
(d) Unavoidably disclose the identity of a confidential source, confidential information furnished only by the confidential source, or persons who file complaints with or provide information to administrative, investigative, law enforcement, or penal agencies; except that the identities of witnesses to traffic accidents, traffic accident reports, and rescue reports shall be provided by agencies of local government, except when disclosure would interfere with an active criminal investigation conducted by the agency that is the recipient of the request;
(e) Disclose unique or specialized investigative techniques other than those generally used and known or disclose internal documents of correctional agencies related to detection, observation or investigation of incidents of crime or misconduct, and disclosure would result in demonstrable harm to the agency or the county that is the recipient of the request;
(f) Endanger the life or physical safety of law enforcement personnel or any other person or by the agency that is the recipient of the request.
(g) Obstruct an ongoing criminal investigation by the agency that is the recipient of the request. (Text of section from P.A. 97-813)
(6) A law enforcement record created for law enforcement purposes and contained in a shared electronic record management system if the law enforcement agency that is the recipient of the request did not create the record, did not participate in or have a role in any of the events which are the subject of the record, and only has access to the record through the shared electronic record management system.(Text of section from P.A. 97-1065)
(7) Records that relate to or affect the security of correctional institutions and detention facilities.
(8) Records requested by persons committed to the Department of Corrections if those materials are available in the library of the correctional facility where the inmate is confined.
(9) Records requested by persons committed to the Department of Corrections if those materials include records from staff members' personnel files, staff rosters, or other staffing assignment information.
(10) Records requested by persons committed to the Department of Corrections if those materials are available through an administrative request to the Department of Corrections.
(11) Preliminary drafts, notes, recommendations, memoranda and other records in which opinions are expressed, or policies or actions are formulated, except that a specific record or relevant portion of a record shall not be exempt when the record is publicly cited and identified by the head of the county. The exemption provided in this division (A)(11) extends to all those records of officers and agencies of the General Assembly that pertain to the preparation of legislative documents.
(12) (a) Trade secrets and commercial or financial information obtained from a person or business where the trade secrets or commercial or financial information are furnished under a claim that they are proprietary, privileged or confidential, and that disclosure of the trade secrets or commercial or financial information would cause competitive harm to the person or business, and only insofar as the claim directly applies to the records requested.
(b) The information included under this exemption includes all trade secrets and commercial or financial information obtained by the county, including a public pension fund, from a private equity fund or a privately held company within the investment portfolio of a private equity fund as a result of either investing or evaluating a potential investment of public funds in a private equity fund. The exemption contained in this item does not apply to the aggregate financial performance information of a private equity fund, nor to the identity of the fund's managers or general partners. The exemption contained in this item does not apply to the identity of a privately held company within the investment portfolio of a private equity fund, unless the disclosure of the identity of a privately held company may cause competitive harm.
(c) Nothing contained in this division (A)(12) shall be construed to prevent a person or business from consenting to disclosure.
(13) Proposals and bids for any contract, grant, or agreement, including information which if it were disclosed would frustrate procurement or give an advantage to any person proposing to enter into a contractor agreement with the county, until an award or final selection is made. Information prepared by or for the county in preparation of a bid solicitation shall be exempt until an award or final selection is made.
(14) Valuable formulae, computer graphic systems, designs, drawings and research data obtained or produced by any the county when disclosure could reasonably be expected to produce private gain or public loss. The exemption for “computer geographic systems” provided in this division (A)(14) does not extend to requests made by news media as defined in § 36.02 above when the requested information is not otherwise exempt and the only purpose of the request is to access and disseminate information regarding the health, safety, welfare, or legal rights of the general public.
(15) The following information pertaining to educational matters:
(a) Test questions, scoring keys and other examination data used to administer an academic examination;
(b) Information received by a primary or secondary school, college, or university under its procedures for the evaluation of faculty members by their academic peers;
(c) Information concerning a school or university's adjudication of student disciplinary cases, but only to the extent that disclosure would unavoidably reveal the identity of the student; and
(d) Course materials or research materials used by faculty members.
(16) Architects' plans, engineers' technical submissions, and other construction related technical documents for projects not constructed or developed in whole or in part with public funds and the same for projects constructed or developed with public funds, including but not limited to power generating and distribution stations and other transmission and distribution facilities, water treatment facilities, airport facilities, sport stadiums, convention centers, and all government owned, operated, or occupied buildings, but only to the extent that disclosure would compromise security.
(17) Minutes of meetings of public bodies closed to the public as provided in the Open Meetings Act until the county makes the minutes available to the public under § 2.06 of the Open Meetings Act, being ILCS Ch. 5, Act 120.
(18) Communications between the county and an attorney or auditor representing the county that would not be subject to discovery in litigation, and materials prepared or compiled by or for the county in anticipation of a criminal, civil or administrative proceeding upon the request of an attorney advising the county, and materials prepared or compiled with respect to internal audits of public bodies.
(19) Records relating to the county's adjudication of employee grievances or disciplinary cases; however, this exemption shall not extend to the final outcome of cases in which discipline is imposed.
(20) Administrative or technical information associated with automated data processing operations, including but not limited to software, operating protocols, computer program abstracts, file layouts, source listings, object modules, load modules, user guides, documentation pertaining to all logical and physical design of computerized systems, employee manuals, and any other information that, if disclosed, would jeopardize the security of the system or its data or the security of materials exempt under this section.
(21) Records relating to collective negotiating matters between public bodies and their employees or representatives, except that any final contract or agreement shall be subject to inspection and copying.
(22) Test questions, scoring keys, and other examination data used to determine the qualifications of an applicant for a license or employment.
(23) The records, documents, and information relating to real estate purchase negotiations until those negotiations have been completed or otherwise terminated. With regard to a parcel involved in a pending or actually and reasonably contemplated eminent domain proceeding under the Eminent Domain Act, being ILCS Ch. 735, Act 30, records, documents and information relating to that parcel shall be exempt except as may be allowed under discovery rules adopted by the Illinois Supreme Court. The records, documents and information relating to a real estate sale shall be exempt until a sale is consummated.
(24) Any and all proprietary information and records related to the operation of an intergovernmental risk management association or self-insurance pool or jointly self-administered health and accident cooperative or pool. Insurance or self insurance (including any intergovernmental risk management association or self insurance pool) claims, loss or risk management information, records, data, advice or communications.
(25) Information contained in or related to examination, operating, or condition reports prepared by, on behalf of, or for the use of the county responsible for the regulation or supervision of financial institutions or insurance companies, unless disclosure is otherwise required by State law.
(26) Information that would disclose or might lead to the disclosure of secret or confidential information, codes, algorithms, programs, or private keys intended to be used to create electronic or digital signatures under the Electronic Commerce Security Act, being ILCS Ch. 5, Act 175.
(27) Vulnerability assessments, security measures, and response policies or plans that are designed to identify, prevent, or respond to potential attacks upon a community's population or systems, facilities, or installations, the destruction or contamination of which would constitute a clear and present danger to the health or safety of the community, but only to the extent that disclosure could reasonably be expected to jeopardize the effectiveness of the measures or the safety of the personnel who implement them or the public. Information exempt under this item may include such things as details pertaining to the mobilization or deployment of personnel or equipment, to the operation of communication systems or protocols, or to tactical operations.
(28) Maps and other records regarding the location or security of generation, transmission, distribution, storage, gathering, treatment, or switching facilities owned by a utility, by a power generator, or by the Illinois Power Agency.
(29) Information contained in or related to proposals, bids, or negotiations related to electric power procurement under § 1-75 of the Illinois Power Agency Act, ILCS Ch. 20, Act 3855 and § 16-111.5 of the Public Utilities Act, being ILCS Ch. 220, Act 5, that is determined to be confidential and proprietary by the Illinois Power Agency or by the Illinois Commerce Commission.
(30) Information about students exempted from disclosure under §§ 10-20.38 or 34-18.29 of the School Code, being ILCS Ch. 105, Act 5, and information about undergraduate students enrolled at an institution of higher education exempted from disclosure under § 25 of the Illinois Credit Card Marketing Act of 2009, ILCS Ch. 110, Act 26.
(31) Information the disclosure of which is exempted under the Viatical Settlements Act of 2009, ILCS Ch. 215, Act 159.
(32) Records and information provided to a mortality review team and records maintained by a mortality review team appointed under the Department of Juvenile Justice Mortality Review Team Act, being ILCS Ch. 730, Act 195.
(33) Information regarding interments, entombments, or inurnments of human remains that are submitted to the Cemetery Oversight Database under the Cemetery Care Act, being ILCS Ch. 760, Act 100, or the Cemetery Oversight Act, being ILCS Ch. 225, Act 41, whichever is applicable.
(34) Correspondence and records (i) that may not be disclosed under § 11-9 of the Public Aid Code, being ILCS Ch. 305, Act 5, or (ii) that pertain to appeals under § 11-8 of the Public Aid Code, being ILCS Ch. 305, Act 5.
(35) The names, addresses, or other personal information of persons who are minors and are also participants and registrants in programs of park districts, forest preserve districts, conservation districts, recreation agencies, and special recreation associations.
(36) The names, addresses, or other personal information of participants and registrants in programs of park districts, forest preserve districts, conservation districts, recreation agencies, and special recreation associations where the programs are targeted primarily to minors.
(37) Confidential information described in § 1-100 of the Illinois Independent Tax Tribunal Act of 2012, being ILCS Ch. 35, Act 1010. (Text of section from P.A. 97-1129)
(B) Any information exempt from disclosure under the Judicial Privacy Act, being ILCS Ch. 5, Act 410, shall be redacted from public records prior to disclosure under the Act. (Text of section from P.A. 97-847)
(C) A public record that is not in the possession of the county but is in the possession of a party with whom the agency has contracted to perform a governmental function on behalf of the county, and that directly relates to the governmental function and is not otherwise exempt under this chapter, shall be considered a public record of the county, for purposes of this chapter.
(D) This section does not authorize withholding of information or limit the availability of records to the public, except as stated in this section or otherwise provided in this chapter.
(ILCS Ch. 5, Act 140, § 7)