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March 28, 2024

Algonquin Township Clerk to ring in new year with ongoing FOIA violations.

By Kirk Allen & John Kraft

On December 30, 2017

McHenry Co. (ECWd)

All indications are Karen Lukasik is going to start the new year of 2018 with numerous outstanding Freedom of Information Act requests.  We will draft our FOIA lawsuit to force compliance.

FOIA Date -11/13/2017

  1. A record of who received the 3 phone gift cards purchased at Jewel/Osco on 08/02/16 with a Platinum American Express card in the name of Robert J Miller.
  2. A record of who received the 2 phone gift cards purchased at Jewel/Osco on 06/02/16 with a Platinum American Express card in the name of Robert J Miller.
  3. A record of who received the 5 gift cards of $250 each purchased 5/16/08 from Barn Nursery & Landscape Center – Purchased with a VISA card account number 4246 3112 9554 8835

Still no response!

FOIA Date – 11/13/2017

  1. A copy of the Open Meetings Act Training Certificates for all Alonguin Township elected officials

Response 11/27/2013

“I am in contact with the Attorney General’s office to obtain duplicates of the certificates of the current elected officials.”

That was over a month ago and we still don’t have the requested records.

FOIA Date 11/13/2017

  1. Copy of all credit card, purchase card, and debit card statements since January 1, 2011, for all cards used by any elected official of the Algonquin Township. This would include ALL pages of those statements
  2. Copy of all credit card reward point redemptions since January 1, 2011.  This would be for any credit card used by any elected official of the Algonquin Township.
  3. A copy of the last two Salary Setting and/or Compensation Setting resolutions for all elected officials of Algonquin Township.
  4. A copy of all Serious XM subscription records since January 1, 2011.

Still no response.

Realizing it can be overwhelming at times to learn a new job and multiple FOIA requests can become a lot to deal with, Ms. Lukasik turned to the attorneys to handle the FOIA requests.

How are they doing? 

Considering two of their communications with us were to seek more time on an FOIA that had already passed the deadline, it does not appear that the lawyers are doing much better.

In fact, one FOIA of particular importance to the taxpayer was for the Annual Reports turned in by the former Highway Commissioner Bob Miller and a copy of the claimed audit that was performed that gave him thousands of dollars on his way out the door for the sick time. Those documents will tell the rest of the story.

What did the law firm tell me about that request, submitted December 6th, 2017?

“In accordance with 5 ILCS 140/3(e)(ii), we require an additional five (5) business days to respond to the request as the request requires the collection of a substantial number of specified records. Therefore, the requested documents will be available on December 20, 2017.”

Well here we are on December 30th, 2017 and the attorneys have yet to provide any response to this request as they had assured us they would.

I wonder how the courts will look at these multiple FOIA violations from Algonquin Township?

17.12.13.Allen Ltr

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3 Comments
  • Don't call me Francis
    Posted at 21:16h, 30 December

    Karen, time for a new attorney. Might I also suggest taking an entirely different approach. Level with the people. Tell them that you simply don’t have the records.

  • Cindy
    Posted at 10:54h, 31 December

    She’s a clerk! She has no idea what you are talking about or how to go about gathering those records!

  • Roger
    Posted at 12:38h, 31 December

    Mistakes happen. Who hasn’t mistaken a shredder for a fax machine.

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