How to File a Freedom of Information Act Request with the Office of Adams County Clerk & Recorder:

Members of the public may make requests for inspection or for copies of public records for the Adams County Clerk and Recorder of Deeds under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), 5 ILCS 140/1 et seq.

FOIA REQUEST FORM - This Form is for the Clerk & Recorder's Office Only. 

**PLEASE NOTE, IF YOU ARE SUBMITTING A FOIA REQUST FOR ANOTHER DEPARTMENT, PLEASE VISIT THIS LINK TO VIEW THE PROPER FOIA OFFICER(S).**

Process for Submitting Requests (Per section 4(b), 5 ILCS 140/4)

The following are instructions on how to file a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request with the Adams County Clerk and Recorder of Deeds:

All FOIA requests for public records must be in writing, and should include the following information:

1. The name, mailing address and contact information of the requester.

2. A description of the records that are being requested

3. Whether the request is for commercial purposes.

To make a request for inspection or for copies of office records, please submit your request by mail, fax, email, or deliver it to:

FOIA Officer(s) for the Office of Clerk & Recorder:

 Ryan Niekamp, Christa Holtman

Adams County Clerk and Recorder of Deeds
507 Vermont St
Quincy, IL 62301

Fax: (217) 277-2155

countyclerk@adamscountyil.gov 

Please be as specific as possible when describing the records you are seeking. Please indicate if you would like copies of the requested records, or whether you wish to examine the records in person. You have the right to either option.

Remember, the Freedom of Information Act is designed to allow you to inspect or receive copies of records – it does not require staff of the public body to answer questions. To the extent that you wish to ask questions of a representative of the Adams County Clerk and Recorder, you may call our office at (217) 277-2150, to be directed to the proper person.

Fees

There is no fee for the first 50 pages of standard paper copies. A fee of $0.15 per page will be charged per additional page in excess of 50 pages. A fee will not be charged for documents that may be scanned and sent electronically, or may otherwise be made available by email.

You are permitted to ask for a waiver of copying fees. To do so, please include the following statement (or a similar statement) in your written FOIA request: “I request a waiver of all fees associated with this request.” In addition, you must include a specific explanation as to why your request for information is in the public interest—not simply your personal interest—and merits a fee waiver.

Declarations (Per Section 4(a), 5 ILCS 140/4

Summary of Purpose

The Adams County Clerk & Recorder of Deeds is the elected, constitutional officer in charge of vital records, notary public registrations, assumed name registrations, and portions of the taxing and tax redemption processes in Adams County. The Clerk & Recorder of Deeds serves as the Clerk of the County Board of Adams County. The Clerk is the custodian of Statements of Economic Interests filed in Adams County. It is the office that conducts voter registration and elections in all of Adams County.

Functional Subdivisions

Annual Operating Budget

Approximately $795,000

Office Locations

The County Clerk has operating facilities at one location:

Adams County Courthouse
507 Vermont St, Suite G2
Quincy, IL 62301

The County Recorder of Deeds has operating facilities at one location:

Adams County Courthouse
507 Vermont St, Suite 110
Quincy, IL 62301

Approximate Number of Employees

The Clerk/Recorder’s office has approximately 8 full time employees. Its part-time election-day employees can number up to 370.

Board, Commission, Committee, or Council

The Adams County Clerk & Recorder of Deeds has no board, commission, committee, or council which operates in an advisory capacity relative to its operations, nor which exercises control over its policies or procedures, or to which the Clerk is required to report and be answerable for the operations of his office.

List of Records (Per section 5, 5 ILCS 140/5

The clerk maintains public records relating to voter registration, the conduct and results of elections, vital records as governed by the Illinois Vital Record Act, the official agendas minutes, resolutions, ordinances and journals of the Adams County Board, Statements of Economic Interests filed in Adams County, notary public registrations, assumed name registrations, and records relating to tax agency reports, tax increment financing reports and the tax redemption processes in Adams County.

In response to FOIA requests, the Clerk furnishes, or makes available for inspection, documents that are either (1) printed out on paper in a form that requires no additional equipment to comprehend, or (2) produces CD’s that contain the documents or information in a form readily rendered readable by commonly-available computer programs. While the documents are often prepared in the forms used by proprietary programs such as Microsoft Word or Excel, such documents are easily read by programs available for free, such as Open Office. Documents made available as PDF’s are read by components all commonly-used computer operating systems, such as Microsoft Windows, the Apple OS or freely-distributed versions of Linux, such as Ubuntu or Debian.