618-586-2777301 S Main St, Palestine. IL

Village of Palestine

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The Village Clerk is hereby designated as the FOIA Officer to whom all initial requests for access to the records of the Village of Palestine are to be referred. Such requests are to be made at the office of the Village Clerk at 301 S. Main, Palestine, Illinois, between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. In the event that the Village Clerk is not available during the times described above, the Administrative Assistant is designated as the Deputy FOIA Officer to whom such initial requests are to be made. Except in instances when records are furnished immediately, the FOIA Officer, or his/her designees, shall receive requests submitted to the Village of Palestine under the Freedom of Information Act, ensure that the Village of Palestine responds to requests in a timely fashion, and issue responses under the Act. The FOIA Officer shall develop a list of documents or categories of records that the City shall immediately disclose upon request.

If copies of records are requested, the fees for such copies, whether certified or not, shall be as determined from time to time by the FOIA Officer pursuant to Section 6(b) of the Freedom of Information Act. The Village Clerk shall maintain a written schedule of current fees in the Clerk’s office. The fees so charged shall reflect the actual cost of copying the records, and the cost of certifying copies, if certification is requested.

In the event that a request to inspect The Village of Palestine Records is denied by the FOIA Officer, the denial may be appealed to the Public Access Counselor of the State of Illinois.

The Palestine Police Department maintains a separate FOIA policy: Palestine Police Department FOIA

Municipal Information Directory

The Village of Palestine is a municipality incorporated and organized under the laws of the State of Illinois for the purpose of providing its residence with the following services:

  1. Police protection.
  2. Sewer service.
  3. Street and sidewalk construction and maintenance

The Village of Palestine has certain functional subdivisions. The approximate amount of the operating budget of the Village of Palestine is $ 758,600. The Village of Palestine office is located at 301 S. Main Street, in Palestine. The Village employees approximately 4 full-time and 1 part-time employee. The members of the boards, commissions and committees of the Village of Palestine are:

Block Diagram of Functional Subdivision

The Freedom of Information Officer of the Village of Palestine are:

Municipal Records Directory

Any person requesting records of the Village of Palestine may make such a request either in person, orally or in writing to the Village Clerk’s Office located at 301 S. Main Street. Such request shall be made to Mrs. Kerry Watson, FOIA Officer at such address and if she is not present in person, you should see the designated Deputy FOIA Officer. Another method would be by mailing, faxing or e-mailing a written request to either Mrs. Kerry Watson or the Deputy FOIA Officer specifying in particular the records requested to be disclosed and copies. All written requests should be addressed to the FOIA officer at the address of the Clerk’s Office. If you desire that any records be certified, you must indicate that in your request and specify which records must be certified.

The fees for any such records, if the person requesting the records wishes them to be copied, are as follows:

First 50 pages, black and white, letter or legal size copies, no cost.

Additional pages, black and white, letter or legal, actual cost to $0.15.

Electronic records will be formatted subject to reimbursement for costs of recording medium.

Color copies or copies in a size other than letter or legal shall be reimbursed to actual costs.

Costs of certifying a record will be $1.00.

Records may be furnished without charge or a reduced charge, as determined by the Village of Palestine, if the person requesting the documents states the specific purpose for the request and indicates that a waiver or reduction of the fee is in the public interest. Waiver or reduction of the fee is in the public interest if the principal purpose of the request is to access and disseminate information regarding the health, safety and welfare or the legal right of the general public and is not for the principal purpose of personal or commercial benefit.

The Village of Palestine Total Compensation Package is posted at the Village Hall 301 S. Main Street, and available for public inspection.

Cataloging and Indexing of Public Records

Types of public records:

  1. Appropriation ordinance.
  2. Budget.
  3. Tax levy ordinance.
  4. Audit.
  5. Bills.
  6. Receipts for revenue.
  7. Vouchers.
  8. Canceled checks.
  9. Sewer bills.
  10. Receipts for fines.
  11. Sales tax receipts.
  12. Real estate tax receipts.
  13. Liquor license fees.
  14. State income tax receipts.
  15. Other licenses.
  16. Building permit fees.
  17. Salary schedules.
  18. Utility bills.
  19. Municipal Code.

The categories of public records are:

  1. Building inspection reports.
  2. Administration memorandum.
  3. Building permits.
  4. City Council minutes.
  5. Board minutes.
  6. City Council Resolutions.
  7. Correspondence received by City.
  8. Correspondence from City.
  9. Bidding specifications.
  10. City maps.
  11. Comprehensive plan.
  12. Personnel files.
  13. Office equipment.
  14. Insurance.
  15. Capital equipment.
  16. Real estate.
  17. Legal notices.
  18. Newspaper articles.
  19. Contracts for capital equipment.
  20. Contracts for maintenance and repair.
  21. Professional consultant contracts.
  22. Pension fund records.
  23. Hospitalization records.
  24. Workman’s records.
  25. Training records.
  26. Official bonds.
  27. Village vehicles.
  28. Village liens.
  29. Police Department records.
  30. Street Department records.
  31. Sewer Department records.