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Home My WebLink AboutIR 8537 ,INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 8537 City To the Mayor and Members of the Y Y Council October 21, 2003 u SUBJECT: OPEN RECORDS/PUBLIC INFORMATION RESPONSE UPDATE The purpose of this report is to provide an update to City Council 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 6 % from last fiscal year. There are three primary reasons for this. 1. The public and press continue to grove 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. Public information requests vary in volume, scope, and complexity, and the maximum initial response time allowed by law is ten business days. 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 an annual 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. Oa ..fackso City Manager ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS City of Fort Worth Public Information Request Statistics FY2002-2003 Request Volume Totals by Month Daily Avg. IT Solutions (PD) 841 30% 2002 October 229 9.9 day Police 441 16% November 205 10.7 day Development 391 14% December 196 9.3 day Human Resources 245 9% 2003 January 232 11 .0 day Environmental 215 8% Management February 203 10.1 day Water 201 7% March 208 9.9 day Code Compliance 164 6% April 244 11.1 day Fire 159 6% May 248 11 .8 day Health 67 2% June 228 10.8 day TPW 64 2% July 290 13.2 day City Secretary 53 2% August 256 12.2 day Finance 42 2% September 252 12.0 day Human Relations 39 1% OPSACS 33 1% Municipal Ct. 31 1% FY 2003 2791 11.1 Law 25 1% FY 2002 2631 10.4 Engineering 22 1% Percentage Increase 6% IT Solutions 21 1% Public Events 19 1% CM0 13. <1% PUBLIC INFORMATION REQUESTS IT Solutions (CS) 10 <1% Library 10 <1% 30 350 0 Economic 250 6 <1% 20 Development 10 50 MFY03 Equipment Services 4 <1% 100 Internal Audit 3 <1% 50 0 Planning 3 <1% m m ti E E 5 :3 2 < E > Retirement Office 3 <1% 0 0 Z 0 Aviation 2 <1% Budget 1 <1% ro "