Open Records Request - 1/16/05
Request for Minutes or Notes from Rules & Goals
Meeting of 1/14 to 1/15/05
Note: This was
supposedly an open meeting. Apparently a set of "rules" was developed for
our city council members to live by along with "goals" for something. This
will have to be repeated since the City Secretary will only comply with existing
records. Records that are being prepared will not be provided without
another written open records request.
-------- Original Message --------
Dear Ms. Hutson:
This is a request under the Texas Open Records Act, chapter 552 of the
Government Code (formerly V.T.C.S. article 6252) as well as Article I, Sec. 8 of
the Texas Constitution, the First Amendment to the United States Constitution,
the common law of the State of Texas and any statue providing for public access
to government information.
I request that I be sent copies of the following documents or, if there are a
large number, be permitted to inspect the following documents and receive copies
of the ones I would like:
1) A copy of any minutes taken or recorded for the open meeting for
Strategic Visioning & Goals Work Session held on January 14th, 2005. If there
is an audio recording of that meeting, this request applies to that audio
recording in lieu of written minutes.
2) A copy of any minutes taken or recorded for the open meeting for
Strategic Visioning & Goals Work Session held on January 15th, 2005. If there
is an audio recording of that meeting, this request applies to that audio
recording in lieu of written minutes.
3) If no official minutes of the meeting were taken, this request is
modified to apply to a copy of all notes taken during the meeting by both the
City Secretary and the Assistant City Secretary present during the meeting.
This request is for such notes in their original format as initially recorded by
these city employees in the normal course of their duties.
If no minutes or records were kept of said meeting, please so advise me in
writing.
If you have any questions about the nature or scope of this request, please call
me at the phone number listed below. If you determine that all or some portion
of the information requested is excepted from required disclosure, I request
that you provide me with the portions of the requested information that are
public and reasonably segrable from that which you believe is excepted. If any
records are in active use or in storage, please certify this fact in writing and
set a date and hour within a reasonable time when the records will be available,
as required by section 552.221 of the Act. If you determine that all or some
portion of the information requested is excepted from required public disclosure
under a particular exception, I request that you advise me as to which
exceptions you believe apply. If you rely on previous determination, please
advise me of the applicable court decision or Attorney General's opinion. If
there is no such determination, please advise me of the request for such an
opinion, as required under section 552.301 of the Act, and a dated copy of your
letter to the Attorney General. I call your attention to section 522.353 of the
Act, which provides penalties for a failure to release public records. I am
prepared to pay reasonable costs for copying, within the guidelines set by
sections 552.261, 552.262, 552.263, 552.267, 552.268, 552.269.
Thank you for your attention to this and I expect to hear from your office
within ten days.
Sincerely,
Ron C. West
Compliance: None to date