Chicago City Wire

FOIA Request to Cook County regarding vendor payment registers on November 10, 2025.

On November 10, 2025, a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request was submitted to Cook County by Chicago City Wire, a media organization focused on local governmental affairs. The request seeks access to vendor payment registers maintained by the county for the period from January 1, 2025, to March 31, 2025. Specifically, the requested records should include the names of vendors paid by the county, dates and amounts of payments made, and descriptions of goods or services purchased during this timeframe.

The request emphasizes that it applies only to existing records and does not require the creation of new documents. The requester has asked for these records in electronic format if available. As a member of the media involved in gathering and reporting news to the public, Chicago City Wire is seeking a fee waiver based on its role in promoting transparency and accountability within public institutions.

Chicago City Wire is affiliated with The Coalition Opposing Governmental Secrecy, a non-profit organization dedicated to assisting media companies and advocacy groups in investigating governmental agencies through FOIA requests. This coalition aims to enhance public understanding by leveraging information laws to shed light on government actions.

Cook County is home to an extensive educational system with an average student-to-teacher ratio of 14-to-1 during the 2022-23 school year. The county's schools enrolled 672,009 students and employed 48,761 full-time faculty members.

Our team will continue to keep you updated as we gather and report news related to this request and other matters of public interest. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions or need further clarification regarding this matter.