ABOUT STOCKTON
Stockton Illinois is the youngest town in Jo Daviess County, but it's also the second largest. As part of the Driftless Zone, Stockton is home to rolling hills, scenic farmland, and vistas that stretch across the Northwestern Illinois skyline. Stockton is also home to various architectural treasures, as many of their downtown buildings are designed in the Queen Anne style of the late 19th century. The White Building, the current home of Stella's Café and Catering, is even listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Village of Stockton was incorporated in April of 1890. It was created thanks in part to the Chicago Great Western Railroad Company, which established a line through the northern portion of the Stockton Township. The name Stockton was chosen by the village's first citizens.
In 1914, J.L. Kraft, the founder of the Kraft Cheese Company, arrived in Stockton looking for a place to establish a cheese factory and creamery. Kraft chose to settle in Stockton thanks in part to the abundance of dairy cows, but also because the railroad offered easy transportation for his exceptional goods. Kraft, Inc. owned the plant until 1998, when they sold to Brewster Cheese. Swiss Cheese is still produced in Stockton.
The Village is home to a thriving downtown, an expansive public park, a museum, a multitude of service-oriented businesses, and more. Welcome to Stockton!
SUMMARY OF PURPOSE:
The Village of Stockton promotes and protects the health, safety, and welfare of its citizens and all of the general public while encouraging social progress, economic development, and opportunities with the Village.
VILLAGE REVENUES AND EXPENSES
The Village of Stockton, in accordance with generally accepted accounting standards, divides its financial operations into funds. Of these funds, the General Fund is the primary corporate fund. It accounts for the majority of expenditures for the purpose of providing direct services to the community. For more information regarding Stockton's finances please contact the Village's Treasurer. The Village's fiscal year runs May 1 to April 30 and has an operating budget for FY26/27 of $2,244,213 in expenditures.
APPROXIMATE NUMBER OF FULL AND PART TIME EMPLOYEES
The Village employs approximately 13 full time and 6 part time employees
WHAT IS THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA)?
The Illinois Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) law was enacted on July 1, 1984. It is intended to provide citizens access to all official documents and records in whatever form they are maintained. Additional information regarding FOIA is found at the Illinois Attorney General Website.
FORMS
As a convenience measure, the Village does have a standard form available for individuals to assist them with their information requests. The form is not required in order for a FOIA request to be submitted, however the Village does require that all information requests be submitted in writing. Freedom of Information Act Request Form
You can send a written request by mail, fax, e-mail, or personal deliver in person to the appropriate FOIA Officer's address.
For Administrative questions contact the Municipal FOIA Officer:
Stefanie Hatley
Village FOIA Officer
155 W. Front Ave.
PO Box 186
Stockton, IL 61085
Phone: 815-947-3831
Fax: 815-947-3413
clerk@villageofstockton.com
Administrative records include, but are not limited to:
Accounts payable and receivable records
- Administrative files and correspondence
- Building & Zoning Permits / Inspections / Violations / Occupancy / Plats of Survey / Variances
- Contracts / Agreements / Leases
- Ordinances / Resolutions / Proclamations
For Police questions, contact the contact the Police FOIA Officer:
Amy Haas
Police Department FOIA Officer
105 W. North Ave.
PO Box 186
Stockton, IL 61085
Phone: 815-947-3157
Fax: 815-947-3413
ahaas@stocktonilpolice.com
Police records include, but are not limited to:
- 9-1-1 calls
- Crime statistics
- Dash camera videos
- Police Reports
- Crash Reports
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FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT REQUESTS
All requests to inspect, copy, or certify public records must be submitted to the Village in writing and in the appropriate form (mail, personal delivery, fax, e-mail, or other means available). The Village will respond to each written request to inspect, copy, or certify public records within five (5) business days after it is received, unless an extension of time is determined necessary. The first business day is the day after the Village receives a FOIA request. The Village will respond to a written request made for commercial purposes within 21 business days after it is received. Requests for information governed by specific statutes will be provided in accordance with such statutes.
RECURRENT REQUESTER
The Illinois Freedom of Information Act defines a "Recurrent Requester" as a person who:
1. Makes at least 50 requests within a 12-month period; or
2. Makes at least 15 requests for records within a 30-day period; or
3. Makes at least 7 requests for records within a 7-day period.
If the village determines someone to be a "Recurrent Requester" the Village reserves the right to extend the response time for each subsequent request to 21 days.
VOLUMINOUS REQUESTS
The Illinois Freedom of Information Act defines a "Voluminous Request" as a request for records that:
1. Include more than 5 individual requests for more than 5 different categories or records or a combination of individual requests that total requests for more than 5 different categories of records in a period of 20 business days; OR
2. Requires the compilation of more than 500 letter or legal-sized pages of public records
If the Village determines a request to be "Voluminous", the Village reserves the right to extend the reply time or demand that the request be reduced to manageable portions
APPEAL OF DENIAL OF FOIA REQUESTS
Any person denied access to inspect or copy any public record for any reason may appeal the denial by sending a written notice of appeal to the Public Access Counselor at the following address:
Public Access Counselor
Office of the Attorney General
500 S. 2nd Street
Springfield, Illinois 62706
Phone: 312-814-5526 or
1-877-299-FOIA (1-877-299-3642)
Fax: 217-782-1396
E-mail: public.access@ilag.gov
FOIA FEES
Copies of public records required to be disclosed pursuant to a proper FOIA request shall be made available to the requester in accordance with the terms and conditions specified in the Act, upon the payment of copying fees in accordance with the following schedule of fees:
| First 50 pages of standard black and white copies | NO CHARGE |
| After the first 50 pages (standard black and white copies) | $0.15 per page |
| Color Copies | Actual cost of duplication |
| Disc, or other record medium | Actual cost of duplication |
| Certification of document | $1.00 per record |
Other Allowable Fees: The Freedom of Information Act allows public bodies to charge, and the Village shall assess, additional fees as follows:
Requests for electronic documents NOT kept in PDF format:
- $20 for up to 2 MB of data
- $40 for >2 MB to 4 MB of data
- $100 for more than 4 MB of data
Requests for electronic documents kept IN PDF format:
- $20 for up to 80 MB of data
- $40 for >80 MB up to 160 MB of data
- $100 for greater than 160 MB of data
RECORDS MAINTAINED BY THE VILLAGE OF STOCKTON
This list is merely for reference or descriptive purposes. Depending on the type of request, copies are available on paper or electronic media. Records that are available on the village's website have the link next to them.
| Agreements Audit Bids Board & Committee Members Budget Code Violations Contact Us Contracts Correspondence Easements Election Records FOIA Requests Hearing Files Invoices Maps Ordinances Organizational Chart Permits |
Personnel Files Plans/Exhibits/Plats Police Reports Police Union Contract Public Hearing Files Public Hearing Notices Raffle Licenses Resolutions (Can be available within 24 hours upon request from the Village Clerk) Transparency Spending Total Compensation Over 75k Treasurer's Report Village Meeting Agendas & Minutes Warrants Water Quality Report |
LOCATION OF OFFICES:
Village Hall, 155 W. Front Avenue
- Board Room, Village President, Village Clerk, Treasurer, & Utility Clerk's Office
Street Department, 106 Cherry Street
Water Department, 104 Cherry Street
Sewer Department, 10720 East Binkley Road
Police Department, 105 West North Avenue