Open Records Request
What is public information?
Texas Government Code 552.002(a) defines “public information” as information that is written, produced, collected, assembled, or maintained under a law or ordinance or in connection with the transaction of official business by a governmental body, or for a governmental body if the government body owns the information or has a right of access to it.
How to request public information?
Your request must be in writing and addressed to Public Information Request. Only written requests trigger a governmental body’s obligations under the Public Information Act. Requests made by facsimile or electronic mail must be addressed to Public Information Request in order to trigger an obligation under the Texas Public Information Act.
Reasonable limit of time spent on the production of public information
Section 552.275 of the Texas Government Code authorizes a governmental body to establish a reasonable limit, not less than 15 hours for one month or 36 hours in 12 months, on the amount of time that personnel is required to spend producing public information for inspection or copies to a requestor, without recovering the costs attributable to the personnel time related to that requestor.