The City of Austin responded to more than 37,000 Public Information Requests (PIRs) in the past year, figures revealed today.
The City published the figures to inform Austinites about its efforts to respond to community and media requests for copies of public records, and its commitment to transparency and accountability.
The City department that received the lion’s share of PIRs in the Fiscal Year 2022 was Austin Police (APD), with 26,068. That figure represented 70% of the total 37,243 PIRs handled by the City over the year.
Other busy departments between Oct. 1, 2021 and Sept. 30, 2022, included the Austin Fire Department (with 3,940 PIRs), Development Services (3,426), Austin Code (2,487), and Austin Water (1,195).
An analysis of requestors showed that about 900 of all PIRs were submitted by members of the media and students, with the rest coming from other members of the community.
In the City of Austin, the PIR process is managed by the Law Department and may involve dozens of City employees across multiple departments during an average week.
“One of the many ways in which the City of Austin serves the community is by making sure individuals get timely access to public records to give them a more complete understanding of how our government works,” said Kelechukwu Anyanwu Jr., Public Information Manager for the City’s Law Department. “We take pride in our efforts to process and respond to hundreds of requests every week, working with more than 40 City departments to reach the appropriate subject matter experts, locate and prepare information, and share it with requestors. By championing open government, we hope to enhance transparency, maximize accountability, and ultimately strengthen democracy.”
The ability of citizens to access information maintained by governmental bodies is protected by the Texas Public Information Act. Specifically, the Act provides public access to already-existing government records. It does not require a governmental body to prepare answers to questions or to do legal research.
The Act allows exceptions protecting the release of certain government records related to litigation, competition or bidding, legislation, and law enforcement, among others. If the City determines that information is excepted from disclosure then the information may be withheld or sent to the Attorney General’s Open Records Division (ORD) for review. The ORD will then issue a decision on whether the City is permitted to withhold the requested information or if it must release the information to the requestor. Some documents may be redacted to protect certain private personal information.
Anyone wishing to submit a PIR can do so by creating an account on the City’s online Public Records Center, www.austintexas.gov/PIR. The Center enables requestors to submit requests, track the progress of their submitted requests, manage invoices and payments, and download responsive information when it is available. It also allows requestors to respond to clarification questions from the City’s PIR team to assist in the process of obtaining the information requested. The City also enables requestors to submit PIRs in other ways.
There is no initial cost to submit a public information request. However, when a PIR response is assessed to require significant staff time and/or resources, the City may impose certain charges – using rates established by the Office of the Attorney General – to ensure the system does not place an unsustainable burden on taxpayer-funded budgets. If there is a cost associated with a request, a requestor will receive notification of the estimated cost in writing.
While any individual may submit a PIR for public records, the City also maintains a data portal, an open government resource, to provide user-friendly data on a range of topics without the need for an official public information request. The City’s network of public information officers also helps respond to media questions related to topics of community interest.
The Attorney General’s office has produced a guide to help both public officials and the people they serve understand and comply with the Texas Public Information Act. The guide, updated this year, can be viewed here. | 
