HomeMy WebLinkAboutIR 8496 INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 8496
May 27, 2003
To the Mayor and Members of the City Council
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SUBJECT: OPEN RECORDS/PUBLIC INFORMATION RESPONSE UPDATE
The purpose of this report is to update you on the management of open records and public information
requests.
The Records and Information Management Office performs the receipt, distribution, and tracking of public
information requests received by the City, with systematic review for release performed by the City
Attorney's Office. The mission of the City's open records/public information program is to ensure the
security and integrity of information being released from the City and to make the City more responsive to the
public.
The volume of requests for public information received by the City continues to grow, up 8.5 % from this
point in the last fiscal year. There are three primary reasons for this.
1. The public and press continue to grow in their awareness of, and interest in, the provisions of the
Public Information Act. This is a clearly quantifiable, statewide trend.
2. Requests not previously recognized as naturally falling under the provisions and obligations of the
Act are now being handled with proper attention and care.
3. Requests for information previously handled casually by departments are now being centrally
logged and tracked with increased efficiency, including the use of facsimile and electronic scanning.
The Records and Information Management Office strives to ensure not only basic statutory compliance,but
also measurable efficiency, in responding to public information requests. Given the varied volume, scope,
and complexity of public information requests received, the standard response time is the ten business days
allowed in state law. Records Management practices same-day distribution for all requests received during
business hours and actively follows up with departments after eight business days for a status report on all
incomplete requests to ensure a response from the City within its statutory deadline of 10 business days.
Attached is a mid-year breakdown of departmental public information requests received by the City in Fiscal
2002/2003,with rounded percentages. Also included are monthly, average, and comparative totals. This
report is submitted for informational purposes. Should you have any questions,please contact Doug Jones,
Records Manager, at 871-6669, or Richard Zavala, Acting Assistant City Manager, 871-6183.
P" ,Gary W.Jackson
City Manager
ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS
City of Fort Worth
Public Information Request Statistics
Mid-Year, FY2002-2003
Request Volume Totals by Month Daily Avg.
IT Solutions (PD) 324 25% 2002 October 229 9.9 day
Police 201 16% November 205 10.7 day
Development 186 15% December 196 9.3 day
Human Resources 113 9% 2003 January 232 11.0 day
Water 103 8% February 203 10.1 day
Environmental Mgt. 76 6% March 208 9.9 day
Code Compliance 67 5%
Health 38 3%
TPW 37 3%
City Secretary 32 3% FY2003, March YTD 1273 10.2
Municipal Court 29 2% FY2002, March YTD 1175 9.4
Finance 25 2% Percentage Increase 8.5%
Fire 25 2%
Human Relations 22 2%
Engineering 13 1%
IT Solutions 12 1% PUBLIC INFORMATION REQUESTS
Law 9 1%
CM0 6 <1% 250
IT Solutions (CS) 6 <1% 200
PACS 6 <1% 150
Public Events 6 <1% 100
Economic Development 5 <11% 50 OFY021
Internal Audit 2 <1% 0
Planning 2 <1% 2 E
Housing 1 <11% 0
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