This was a request for the resume and job application for Growth Dimension’s Director, Jarid Funderberg. The state made no response until now but wants now to clear its record. Mr. Funderberg left Growth Dimensions several years ago. The City of Belvidere held that it needed not supply the information even though Growth Dimension received a substantial portion of its budget from local governments and administered its Enterprise Zone program.
My original request:
February 23, 2015
Public Access Counselor
Office of the Attorney General
500 South 2nd Street
Springfield, Il 62706
REQUEST FOR REVIEW
Sir or Madam:
Please consider this an appeal request regarding the records denied in a February 6, 2015 Freedom of Information request to the City of Belvidere.
The records concern files possessed by Growth Dimensions, a non-profit corporation, performing governmental duties for the City of Belvidere. The original FOIA request, City Attorney’s initial response, my statement regarding their non-compliance with the FOIA request and the City Attorney’s final response are enclosed. The specific record which was refused is the employment application and resume (at time of application) for current Growth Dimensions’ Executive Director, Jarid Funderburg.
Growth Dimensions plans and implements economic development strategies and projects for the City of Belvidere and is the administrator for the city’s Illinois Enterprise Zone. It was clearly spelled out that the information requested was guided in part by Illinois Attorney General Opinions 13-018* and 14-015**.
More than half of Growth Dimensions’ budget is funded by units of local government: namely the City of Belvidere, Village of Poplar Grove, Boone County government, two k-12 school districts, Rock Valley College and Northern Illinois University. Growth Dimensions’ general meetings are closed to the public and to the news media; Growth Dimensions has been criticized for this in the local newspaper. Mr. Funderburg is the third Executive Director in the past three years. He is connected to a prominent family in Belvidere/Rockford. No employment history was supplied to the public despite questions regarding such at Belvidere City Council. Based upon these facts it is appropriate and necessary for the public to have access to the job application and resume which was submitted when Mr. Funderburg applied to head Belvidere’s economic development agency and became administrator of its Illinois Enterprise Zone.
I appreciate the gesture which Growth Dimensions made by voluntarily supplying minutes of its monthly meetings. The public has the right to these records because Growth Dimensions is acting for governmental units in local governments’ efforts to plan and facilitate area economic development. Without access the public has little awareness of what actions in economic development are occurring and no means of evaluating if their tax funds are being well spent. The public has a right to these
*http://foia.ilattorneygeneral.net/pdf/opinions/2013/13-018.pdf
**http://foia.ilattorneygeneral.net/pdf/opinions/2014/14-015.pdf.
records on a regular basis, with or without Growth Dimensions’ consent. This will not happen without your clarification of whether Growth Dimension is providing governmental services for the City of Belvidere and your grant of the requested resume and job application. In the letter dated February 9, 2015 the City Attorney supplied Growth Dimensions ‘minutes “in the spirit of the Freedom of Information Act”. This amounts to a de factor recognition that these records should be in the public view.
The City Attorney did not properly handle my initial FOIA. I made it very clear that I was seeking records of Growth Dimensions and the basis for that request. When some of the specific records requested were refused, the City Attorney did not apprise me of my appeal rights. How can an FOIA officer, no less an officer of the Seventeen Judicial Circuit Court of Illinois neglect to inform a citizen of his rights? I would appreciate if you also would comment to the City of Belvidere regarding proper administration of FOIA requests.
Thank you for your consideration.
YES—I have requested their review continue
Bartelt, Leah <LBartelt@atg.state.il.us>
To:'bill pysson'
Sep 12 at 8:43 AM
Thank you Mr. Pysson, we’ll proceed with our analysis.
