Open Illinois.org
Shining light on Illinois government
- About
- Transparency Pledge
- Who’s Posting?
- Policy
- Policy Brief: You Better Shop Around! Council on efficient government would bring common-sense budgeting to state
- Policy Brief: This Bid’s for You! How Reverse Auctions Save Taxpayers Millions
- Policy Brief: Time To Throw A TIF- Invisible, Unaccountable Taxes You’ve Never Heard Of
- Policy Brief: “Beyond Business As Usual”: A Case Study
- Spotlight on Spending #1: The Disparity Between Public Sector and Statewide Salaries
- Spotlight on Spending #2: Tourism Grants - Spurring the Economy or Wasteful Spending?
- Spotlight on Spending #3: Upward Mobility Program - Funding a Union Perk at Taxpayer Expense
- Spotlight on Spending #4: Illinois State Energy Subsidies - Picking Winners and Losers with Tax Dollars
- Spotlight on Spending #5: Employer Training Investment Program
- Policy Brief: Illinois Government Needs An X-Ray Machine
- Policy Brief: Working for Transparency in Illinois
- Crain’s Chicago Business: City Taxpayers Have Right to See TIF Transparency
- Resources
- How To Approach Your School Board
- Transparency Examples
- Model Language: Golf, IL Transparency Resolution
- Model Language: Open Meetings
- Model Language: FOIA Appeals
- Model Language: Transparency Website
- Kansas Spending Transparency Website
- 2008 Illinois Piglet Book
- How to Get Information Online
- Sample FOIA letter
- BGA Salary Database
- Liberty Leaders
- Partners
Recent Posts
CPS Inspector General Finds $800K of Questionable Spending
The Chicago Public Schools’ inspector general found $822,000 in... Read More »
Update on Sunshine
Unfortunately, Illinois took two steps back in the transparency movement last week during veto session. The... Read More »
Work on Industrial Arts Glass Studio Costs Illinois Taxpayers $71,000
According to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity... Read More »
Illinois to Spend $150k to Upgrade Lighting
The Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity recently awarded a grant to the... Read More »
Sunshine Standard
All interested in government transparency, check out this new site, sunshinestandard.org, created by Sunshine... Read More »
New TIF in the Loop
The city of Chicago has just approved 6 million dollars in tax increment financing (TIF) for Accretive Health... Read More »
Illinois Pays $100k to Host a Football Game Between Two Out-of-State Universities
The Chicago Football Classic Inc. received a... Read More »
Grant for Costumed Actors Costs Taxpayers $79K
In 2009, the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity awarded a $79,000 to... Read More »
School Vendor Data Available on IllinoisOpenGov!
What is your school district spending money on? Check out some new spending data... Read More »
Chicago Horticultural Society receives $250k for its Plant Conservation Science Center
In 2009 the Chicago Horticultural Society... Read More »
[...] Open MeetingsModel Language: FOIA Appeals2008 Illinois Piglet BookHow to Get Information OnlineSample FOIA letterLiberty LeadersPartners Browse: Home / Successful Transparency / How to file a FOI [...]
[...] in 2009, now many documents can be obtained for free, if they are in electronic format. Here’s a sample FOIA letter to use if you are thinking about filing your own FOIA [...]