Boeing ruling

In reversal, city of Pharr releases city manager’s salary

FOIFT2019-01-10T00:34:08-06:00

By Dave Hendricks Progress TimesOriginally published Jan. 9, 2019 After attempting to keep City Manager Alex Meade’s salary a secret, Pharr announced Wednesday that “in the interest of continuing its commitment to transparency” the city would release the information. ... The Texas Public Information Act includes an exception for “information that, if released, would give advantage to a competitor or bidder.” A controversial Texas Supreme Court decision called Boeing v. Paxton effectively broadened that exception, concluding the exception covered information that would provide “an advantage, not whether it would be a decisive advantage.” Pharr competes with other cities to attract and [...]

In reversal, city of Pharr releases city manager’s salaryFOIFT2019-01-10T00:34:08-06:00

Texas Sunshine Coalition seeks greater transparency

FOIFT2019-01-10T00:25:48-06:00

By Ken MartinThe Austin BulldogOriginally published Jan. 7, 2019 During the 2019 legislative session, open government advocates have high hopes that this time they will be able to convince lawmakers to demolish the legal barriers created by court decisions that are preventing access to important public information. Among other things, these court decisions prevent finding out how taxpayers’ money is being spent. They also bar access to dates of birth needed, for example, to properly identify criminal suspects or allow lenders to perform the background checks needed for credit decisions. Another obstacle to be overcome through legislation is the refusal of [...]

Texas Sunshine Coalition seeks greater transparencyFOIFT2019-01-10T00:25:48-06:00

FOI Column: Boeing ruling stretched, twisted to keep government records secret

FOIFT2022-03-31T17:08:33-05:00

By Kelley Shannon Executive Director FOI Foundation of Texas Every week, government officials across Texas and private companies receiving taxpayer dollars get increasingly creative in hiding public records. Their new tool is the Boeing ruling, a decision from the Texas Supreme Court that lowered the threshold for arguing competitive bidding as an exemption from disclosure under the Texas Public Information Act. It gives governments an easier path to claim that competitive bidding concerns should allow them to keep records secret. And, businesses can now make the claim, too. Those attempting to censor records under Boeing have sought approximately 1,500 rulings from [...]

FOI Column: Boeing ruling stretched, twisted to keep government records secretFOIFT2022-03-31T17:08:33-05:00

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