San Angelo City Council will consider restricting responses to public information requests. Staff characterized citizens submitting multiple requests as vexatious or "annoying, frustrating or worrying."
Limits under consideration are:
Monthly – 15 hours per calendar monthTexas law already allows the city to charge fees for public information searches requiring significant staff time.
Annually – 36 hours per fiscal year (October 1 through September 30)
Not mentioned in the staff memo is the reduction in information available via the city's website. In 2018 the city removed its monthly Bluebook and Revenue and Expense accounting documents. Staff did not answer why it stopped making those documents available through its website as it had for years.
The annual budget document now contains a fraction of its previous narrative and statistical information. Just getting what had previously been readily available requires public information request(s). It does not seem fair for staff to restrict hours for PIRs after reducing publicly available information.
The proposed policy draws a distinction between types of citizens. Those not restricted include members of the media, elected officials and publicly funded legal services organizations.
Over the years this blog attempted to fill the gap in local investigative reporting and exposed Mayor Alvin New's board of director position with MedHab, a recipient of local economic development funds. City staff portrayed New as a member of MedHab's advisory board, a lesser position.
The memo said "The San Angelo City Council wishes to establish a policy." That's odd as I have not heard Council discuss this topic during the strategic planning sessions or at City Council. In what forum did Council express this wish? Was it after City Manager Daniel Valenzuela issued the "PIR" warning on November 18th?
I thought Economic Development Director Guy Andrews' surprise retirement warranted exploration and submitted a PIR. Staff provided e-mails regarding the mechanics of retiring and accessing benefits but nothing on the reasons that Mr. Andrews stepped down. A COSA Development Corporation meeting provided the real answer.
A former Animal Shelter Director offered bogus community cat information on sister Texas cities to a city board (Animal Shelter Advisory Committee). More recently this blog collected Animal Service statistics via PIRs. I shared these with the Mayor and Council members as they began their strategic planning sessions. The city's practice in many cases is to supply raw data vs. spreadsheets/reports. Some compilations took considerable time on my end to produce.
I hope two people show up to give public comment on this item, Jim Turner and former Mayor Dwain Morrison. Turner frequently coached Council on their public information responsibilities and Mayor Morrison railed against the city reducing services. However, having them in physical attendance may be too much to ask. I trust they will be there in spirit.
It is not clear why the proposal is for fiscal year as two months have already passed. It would seem less targeted if Council chose to apply this on a go forward basis and begin the limits in 2023 (calendar year).
When Mayor Brenda Gunter was elected in 2017 she said "It will always be about the citizens." That will be tested next week. It may be about the bureaucracy.
Update 12-12-22: San Angelo Live noticed that their access to public information may be reduced as well.
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