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Illinois Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Policy

Warren Newport Public Library District
Lake County, Illinois

Board of Trustees

Policy 4030

Illinois Freedom of Information Act [5 ILCS 140/1] Policy

Adopted 06/13/2006
Reviewed/Revised: 09/16/2008; REVISED 01/11/2010

Click here for a PDF version of this document (Adobe Acrobat required).

I. A brief description of the Warren-Newport Public Library District, herein referred to as “the Library District” follows:

  1.  The purpose of the Library District is to provide materials and services for the recreational, social, informational, and educational needs of the community.
  2. An organizational chart is attached.
  3. The total amount of the Library’s operating budget for FY 2009-2010 is $14.4 million. Fund sources are property and personal property replacement taxes, state and federal grants, fines, fees and donations. Tax levies are:
    1. Corporate purposes (for general operating expenditures)
    2. IMRF (for employees’ retirement and related expenses.
    3. Social Security (for employees’ FICA costs and related expenses
    4. Audit (for annual audit and related expenses)
    5. Building, Sites and Maintenance (for maintaining the building and grounds)
    6. Tort liability (for insurance premiums, risk management, attorney’s fees and related expenses, unemployment and worker’s compensation insurance)
    7. Working Cash (for internal loans [no longer levied])
    8. Debt Service (for bond and interest payments [abated annually])
  4. The office is located at this address: 224 North O’Plaine Road, Gurnee, Illinois, 60031.
  5. We have the following number of persons employed:
    1. Full-time: 25
    2. Part-time: 80
  6. The following organization exercises control over the policies and procedures of the Library District: Board of Trustees of the Warren-Newport Public Library District, which meets monthly on the third Tuesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. at the library. The members of the Board of Trustees are Susan K. Niemi, President; Thomas J. Colwell, Vice President; Nancy E. Sheldon, Secretary; Steven J. Weinberg, Treasurer; Nancy Jackson, Laurie Styrcula and Ronald J. Friedman.
  7. The following organization operates in an advisory capacity regarding the operation of the Library District: North Suburban Library System, Wheeling, Illinois. Its members are Sarah A. Long, Executive Director, and various other staff.
  8. The Library District is required to report to and be answerable for its operations to Illinois State Library, Springfield, Illinois. Its members are Jesse White, Secretary of State and State Librarian; Anne Craig, Director of the State Library; and various other staff.

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

  1. Direct your request to Stephen P. Bero, FOIA Officer. You may use the attached request form.
  2. Specify the records requested to be disclosed for inspection, to be copied, or to be furnished in electronic format. If you desire that any records be certified, you must specify which ones.
  3. Reimburse the Library District for reproducing records in excess of 50 pages and/or for certifying records. For records to be copied, there is no charge for the first fifty (50) pages of “letter size” or “legal size” black-and-white copies. If you request copies in another size and/or in color, you will be charged $1.00 per page, which is not more than the Library District’s actual cost for reproducing the records. If you request that records be certified, you will be charged $1.00 per page to reimburse the Library District for the actual costs for certifying the records.

III. You may request to inspect records rather than having them copied. If you wish to inspect records, and employee must be present throughout the inspection. The pace and times where the records will be available are as follows: Warren-Newport Public Library District Business Office, 224 North O’Plaine Road, Gurnee, Illinois, between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, except holidays.

IV. 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.

V. The decision of the FOIA Officer may be appealed to the Public Access Counselor.

VI. The following types or categories of records are maintained under the control of the Library District:

  1. Monthly Financial Statements
  2. Annual Receipts and Disbursement Reports
  3. Budget and Appropriation Ordinances
  4. Levy Ordinances
  5. Operating Budgets
  6. Annual Audits
  7. Minutes of the Board of Library Trustees
  8. Library Policies, including Materials Selection
  9. Annual Reports to the State Library

Certain types of information maintained by the Library District are exempt from inspection and copying.

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