HomeMy WebLinkAboutIR 8592 INFORMAL. REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 8592
April 27, 2004
To the Mayor and Members of the City Council
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 26.5 % from
this point last fiscal year. March 2.004 exceeded all previous months on record. There are three primary
reasons for this increase.
1. The public and press continue to grow in their awareness of, and interest in, the provisions of
Offt, 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 a breakdown of departmental public information requests received by the City thus far in
Fiscal 2003/2004, 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 392-2437.
a ry Jac
City Manager
ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS
City of Fort Worth
Public Information Request Statistics
Mid-Year FY2003-2004
Request Volume Totals by Month Daily Avg.
IT Solutions (PD) 521 32% 2003 October 287 12.5 day
Police 294 18% November 186 10.3 day
Development 214 13% December 209 9.5 day
Fire 179 11% 2004 January 277 13.8 day
Human Resources 148 9% February 281 14.0 day
Environmental Mgmt. 137 8% March 372 16.2 day
Code Compliance 109 7%
TPW 57 4%
Municipal Court 37 2%
Water 36 2%
Community Relations 28 2%
Health 28 2%
Finance 21 1% Mid-Year Daily
IT Solutions 15 1% Total Avg.
Engineering 13 1% FY 2004 1612 12.8
CM0 10 1% FY 2003 1273 10.2
Legal 10 1% Percentage Increase 26.5%
City Secretary's Office 5 <1%
Budget 4 <11%
Housing 2 <11% PUBLIC INFORMATION REQUESTS
Internal Audit 2 <11% 400
Library 2 <11% 350
300
PALS 2 <11% 250
Public Events 2 <11% 200
150
Retirement Office 2 <11% 100
Aviation 1 <11%
50
0
IT Solutions (CS) 1 <11%
E 2
<1% E
U.
Planning I z 0