(A) The Clerk, when denying a request for public record, shall notify the requestor, by letter, of the decision to deny the information, and the reason for the denial. Each notice of denial by the Clerk shall inform the person of his or her right to appeal to the Village President in accordance with 5 ILCS 140/10 of the Freedom of Information Act. When a request is denied on the grounds that the records are exempt under the provisions of this subchapter, the notice of denial shall specify the exemption claimed to authorize the denial and briefly explain how the exemption applies to the specified records withheld.
(B) A requestor may appeal a denial of a request for public records to the Village President. All appeals shall be in writing, shall be addressed to the Village President in an envelope clearly marked “FOIA APPEAL”, and shall include a copy of the original request, a copy of the denial or a statement that the village failed to respond within seven working days; and a written statement setting forth the reasons the requestor believes the appeal should be granted.
(C) The Village President shall respond in writing to an appeal within seven working days of receipt thereof. Failure to respond shall be considered a denial of the appeal. If the Village President denies an appeal in whole or in part, the requestor shall be informed of his or her rights to judicial review under 5 ILCS 140/11 of the Freedom of Information Act.
(2009 Code, § 15-1-11)