(A) The City Clerk is hereby designated as the FOIA Officer to whom all initial requests for access to the records of the city are to be referred. Such requests are to be made at the office of the City Clerk at 109 NE 2nd Street, Fairfield, Illinois, between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. In the event that the City Clerk is not available during the times described above, the Deputy Clerk is designated as the Deputy FOIA Officer to whom such initial requests are to be made. The Chief of Police is hereby designated as the FOIA Officer to whom all initial requests for access to the records of the Police Department are to be referred. Such requests are to be made at the office of the Chief of Police at 1102 Leininger Rd., Fairfield, Illinois.
(B) Upon receiving a request for a public record, the FOIA Officer shall:
(1) Note the date the city receives the written request;
(2) Compute the day on which the period for response will expire and make a notation of that date on the written request;
(3) Maintain an electronic or paper copy of a written request, including all documents submitted with the request until the request has been complied with or denied; and
(4) Create a file for the retention of the original request, a copy of the response, a record of written communications with the requester, and a copy of other communications.
(C) The FOIA Officer and Deputy FOIA Officer shall, successfully complete an electronic training curriculum to be developed by the Public Access Counselor of the state and thereafter successfully complete an annual training program. Whenever a new Freedom of Information Officer is designated by the city, that person shall successfully complete the electronic training curriculum within 30 days after assuming the position.
(D) Any records which are the subject of a request under the Freedom of Information Act shall be retrieved from such place as they are stored, by the FOIA Officer, or by an employee of the city acting under the direction of the FOIA Officer. In no event shall records be retrieved by the party requesting them or by any person who is not employed by the city.
(E) If copies of records are requested, the fees for such copies, whether certified or not, shall be as determined from time to time by the FOIA Officer pursuant to Section 6(b) of the Freedom of Information Act. The City Clerk shall maintain a written schedule of current fees in the Clerk’s office. The fees so charged shall reflect the actual cost of copying the records, and the cost of certifying copies, if certification is requested.
(F) In the event that a request to inspect city records is denied by the FOIA Officer, the denial may be appealed to the Public Access Counselor of the state.
(G) The City Clerk shall prepare:
(1) A city information directory;
(2) A block diagram of the functional subdivisions of the city;
(3) A city records directory; and
(4) A records catalogue, all of which shall be substantially in the same form as the documents attached to Ordinance 12-0124-32 and made a part hereof as Exhibits A, B, C, and D.
(Ord. 12-0124-32, passed 1-24-2012; Ord. 20-0512-211, passed 5-12-2020)