FOIA

Annual Finance Reports:

A brief description of our public body is as follows:

1. The Flossmoor Public Library serves the community by providing a wide variety of items to borrow and by offering services for residents of all ages.  The library provides information, book recommendations and programs. The library’s website offers 24-hour access to electronic information, services and catalog.
2. An organizational chart is attached.
3. The total amount of our operating budget for FY 2025-2026 is: $1,804,895.00. Funding sources are property and personal property replacement taxes, state and federal grants, fines, charges, and donations. Tax levies are:
   1. Corporate Purposes (for general expenditures)
   2. IMRF (provides for employee’s retirement and related expenses)
   3. Social Security (provides for employee’s FICA costs and related expenses)
4. The office is located at this address: Flossmoor Public Library, 1000 Sterling Avenue, Flossmoor, IL 60422.
5. We have approximately the following number of persons employed:
   1. Full-time: 9
   2. Part-time: 19
6. The Flossmoor Public Library Board of Trustees exercises control over the library’s policies and procedures. The board meets on the second Tuesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. at the library, 1000 Sterling Avenue, Flossmoor, IL 60422, unless rescheduled and notice given in accordance with the Illinois Open Meetings Act.
7. The library is required to report and be answerable for our operations to:
   1. Illinois State Library, Springfield, Illinois. Its members are: State Librarian and Secretary of State, Jesse White, Director of State Library, Anne Craig; and various other staff.

You may request the information and records available to the public in the following manner:

1. Use the request form or submit a request email, by written letter or fax. The request form is not required, but is preferred.
   1. Your request should be directed to the following individual:
      FOIA Officer, Administration Office
      Flosssmoor Public Library
      1000 Sterling Avenue
      Flossmoor, IL 60422
      foia@flossmoorlibrary.org
   2. You must indicate whether you have a “commercial purpose” in your request.
   3. You must specify the records requested to be disclosed for inspection or to be copied. If you desire that any records be certified, you must specify which ones.
2. To reimburse us our actual costs for reproducing and certifying (if requested) the records, you wil be charged the following fees:
   1. There is a $1.00 charge for each certification of records.
   2. There is no charge for the first fifty (50) pages of black and white text either letter or legal size;
   3. There is a $.15 per page charge for copied records in excess of 50 pages.
   4. The actual copying cost of color copies and other sized copies will be charged.
3. If the records are kept in electronic format, or may request a specific format and if feasible, they wil be so provided, but if not, they will be provided either in the electronic format in which they are kept (and you would be required to pay the actual cost of the medium only, i.e. disc, diskette, tape, etc) or on paper as you select.
4. The office will respond to a written request within five (5) working days or sooner if possible.  An extension of an additional five (5) working days may be necessary to properly respond.
5. Records may be inspected or copied. If inspected, an employee must be present throughout the inspection.
   1. The place and times where the records will be available are as follows: Monday – Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

The following items are available on the library website or through a FOIA request form:

For more information on the Illinois Freedom of Information Act, go to the website posted by the Illinois Attorney General.

1. “Commercial Purpose” is defined in the Acts as “the use of any part of a public record or records, or information derived from public records, in any form for sale, resale, or solicitation or advertisement for sales or services.” However, there are exceptions for news media, non-profits, scientific and academic organizations to disseminate news, articles or opinions of public interest, or research or education.
2. In the event a “commercial interest” is involved, additional questions can be asked of the requestor by the public body FOIA officer in order to determine the classification, then the public body has up to 21 days to respond and either deny the request based on exemptions or undue burden; or estimate the time and cost of the copying for prepayment; or provide the documents requested.