Freedom of Information Requests

The City of Princeton Freedom of Information page is your source for everything related to the Freedom of Information Act. Below you can find the FOIA request procedures. At the bottom of the page you can view the Contact Info for your request.

Freedom of Information Request Procedures

Non-exempt public records will be made available for inspection and copying at the City of Princeton City Hall Building located at 2 S. Main Street, Princeton, Monday through Friday, between the hours of 8:00 A.M. and 5:00 P.M., except on holidays.

The City will accept FOIA requests submitted in person, by U.S. mail, by facsimile (815-875-6235) or by e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

All non-commercial requests for public records will be acted upon within 5 business days of their receipt in the Freedom of Information Office. Requests made for commercial purposes will be acted upon within 21 business days of receipt. It is the policy of the City of Princeton to give the highest priority to the processing of any non-commercial requests.

Occasionally, additional time may be needed to process certain requests. In those instances, the Freedom of Information Officer will provide the requestor with an official written notice extending the compliance period to 10 business days.

If the City determines that more than 10 business days will be needed to completely fulfill a request, the Freedom of Information Officer and the requestor can agree in writing to an additional extension.

The Freedom of Information Act provides that certain types of records may be exempt from public inspection and copying as necessary to protect legitimate privacy or security interests. If the City determines that a requested record or any portion of a requested record is exempt under the FOIA, the Freedom of Information Officer will provide the requestor with a written notice of denial. Records containing both exempt and non-exempt information will be provided to the requestor with any exempt material redacted.

A requestor has the right to appeal for a review of any denial in writing to the Public Access Counselor of the Illinois Attorney General’s office within 60 days of receiving the denial. The Public Access Counselor will review all claims and issue an opinion within 60 days of receiving the request for review.

A requestor also retains the right to seek judicial review of any denial in Bureau County Circuit Court.

Inspection of public records, will be conducted during normal business hours at the City Hall Building. As a matter of convenience, the City and/or the requestor may request that inspection take place in another location. The City may require that a City employee or officer be present during the inspection and may prohibit the requestor from bringing bags, brief cases, or other containers into the inspection room. Documents which the requestor wishes to have copied will be segregated during the course of the inspection and, after the inspection is complete, will be copied by a City employee or officer.

Freedom of Information Act Officers

The City of Princeton’s Freedom of Information Act Officer are designated as Clyde Wray, City Clerk.

Freedom of Information Act requests can directed to Mr. Wray at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , fax 815-875-6235, or mail at 2 S. Main Street, Princeton, Illinois 61356.