A Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request was submitted to the City Of Columbia Finance Department on October 31, 2024. The request, sent by us at SW Illinois News, sought detailed records related to city sales tax collected from local businesses.
Specifically, we requested a list of businesses that paid sales tax to the city from January 1, 2023, to October 31, 2024. We asked for the following details about each business: its name, type and the amount of sales tax it paid during this period.
In addition to this information about individual businesses, we also requested data on the total amount of sales tax that the city collected during the same time frame.
As a media organization committed to comprehensive and accurate news coverage on local governmental affairs, access to such public records is essential for our work. This information allows us to hold public institutions accountable and provide transparency to our readership.
Given our role in disseminating information to the public, we believe we are eligible for a fee waiver as a media professional under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act.
We await a response from the City Of Columbia Finance Department regarding our request.
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