# Better Government Association — 2026-09-16T00:00:00.000 ("To the FOIA Officer: Pursuant to the Illinois Freedom of Information Act (5 ILCS 140/1 et seq.), I hereby request access to and copies of the following public records regarding outreach conducted by City of Chicago finance officials and/or ad

**Score:** 76/100

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Organization | Better Government Association |
| Filing Date | 2026-09-23 |
| Jurisdiction | IL |
| Locality | "To the FOIA Officer: Pursuant to the Illinois Freedom of Information Act (5 ILCS 140/1 et seq.), I hereby request access to and copies of the following public records regarding outreach conducted by City of Chicago finance officials and/or administration representatives to financial institutions concerning potential debt sales, partnerships, or refinancing structures in calendar year 2026: Meeting Records & Schedules: All calendar entries, meeting invites, attendee lists, agendas, minutes, and briefing notes for any meetings, briefings, or discussions held during calendar year 2026 between City finance officials (including the Chief Financial Officer, City Comptroller, and Department of Finance staff/representatives) and any financial institution, investment bank, broker-dealer, or financial advisor regarding the sale, transfer, or partnership structure for City debt. Outreach & Solicitations: All records, contact logs, tracker spreadsheets, pitch books, or correspondence documenting attempts made by or on behalf of the City to contact financial institutions (including the approximately 20 institutions referenced by city officials) to solicit interest or evaluate a potential debt partner. Email Communications: All electronic mail sent, received, or copied (including attachments) between City finance officials or Mayor's Office representatives and any external financial institution, underwriting firm, or financial advisory firm from January 1, 2026, to the present, containing any of the following search terms (or combinations thereof): "debt sale", "debt partner", "monetization", "securitization", "financial institution", "RFP", "RFI", "outreach", "bond sale", "offloading debt". Summaries & Visuals: Any summary reports, presentations, slide decks, or internal memos generated during calendar year 2026 detailing the number of meetings held, total institutions contacted, responses received, or evaluations of potential partners for City debt." |
| Classification | 2026-09-16T00:00:00.000 |
| Reported Metric | Bryan Zarou |
| Dataset Source | Chicago Data Portal (7avf-ek45) |

## Why this score
- Official Chicago Data Portal commercial filing (7avf-ek45)
- Verified organizational registry record
- Recent filing window (2026-09-23)
- Jurisdiction: IL

Source: Chicago Data Portal — FOIA Request Log (7avf-ek45) (https://data.cityofchicago.org/d/7avf-ek45). Last refreshed: 2026-11-04T06:11:35.432Z.
Source: Chicago Data Portal (data.cityofchicago.org, dataset 7avf-ek45). Public registry publication is a routine administrative record and is not a finding of fault, violation, or noncompliance. Individual and sole-proprietor records are excluded; verify directly with the issuing agency before taking action.