Texas Public Information Act

Alamo Trust to hold open meetings in wake of transparency concerns

2018-01-16T16:43:05-06:00

By Scott Huddleston San Antonio Express-News Originally published Jan. 15, 2018 A nonprofit board overseeing the Alamo’s day-to-day operations will open its meetings to the public this year. But one state senator says state officials and philanthropists in charge of the historic mission and battle site and a far-reaching plan to improve it should do more to provide a level of openness befitting the Texas shrine. “The public just has an inherent right to know how their tax dollars are being spent. And we’re now talking about the Alamo, which is a big deal,” said Sen. Kirk Watson, one of several [...]

Alamo Trust to hold open meetings in wake of transparency concerns2018-01-16T16:43:05-06:00

Attorney general: Austin city manager candidates not a competitive secret

2018-01-12T15:09:32-06:00

By Elizabeth Findell Austin American-Statesman Originally published Jan. 11, 2018 The city of Austin cannot withhold records showing who applied for its city manager position by claiming the information would harm the city competitively in a search for qualified applicants, the Texas attorney general’s office says. Nor is the information a trade secret, a matter that would harm the search firm competitively or “highly intimate and embarrassing,” Matthew Taylor, an assistant attorney general in the open records division, wrote in his opinion. The opinion says that the city and its executive search firm, Russell Reynolds, must turn over the bulk of the [...]

Attorney general: Austin city manager candidates not a competitive secret2018-01-12T15:09:32-06:00

Texas cities mum on specifics of proposals to lure Amazon

2018-01-11T18:43:54-06:00

By Jamie Stengle Associated Press Originally published Jan. 11, 2018 DALLAS - While Texas cities vying to land Amazon’s second headquarters have been vocal about why they think they should win, they’ve resisted releasing copies of their proposals. Requests by The Associated Press for information related to the proposals were met with replies including arguments that such information can be kept secret because it would give an advantage to competitors. Some cities did release employees’ emails relating to the bids. A release of emails from Houston offered clues, including a draft of the proposal’s two-page executive summary that said it could [...]

Texas cities mum on specifics of proposals to lure Amazon2018-01-11T18:43:54-06:00

New lawsuit filed in Mike Leach’s feud with Texas Tech, this time over records access

2018-01-08T15:02:31-06:00

By Brent Schrotenboer USA Today Originally published Jan. 7, 2017 Mike Leach’s war against Texas Tech is headed back to court, this time to gain access to records related to his firing from the university in 2009. Leach, now the head football coach at Washington State, hired an investigative firm in Houston last year to dig up information on Texas Tech officials and pressure them into paying him the $2.4 million he says he is still owed by Tech. But that firm, Dolcefino Consulting, says Texas Tech has refused to comply with its requests for public records related to his firing. On Sunday, the firm filed [...]

New lawsuit filed in Mike Leach’s feud with Texas Tech, this time over records access2018-01-08T15:02:31-06:00

Records reveal drama, disguises in Austin city manager search

2017-12-08T15:17:00-06:00

By Philip Jankowski Austin American-Statesman Originally published Dec. 6, 2017 To dodge reporters, consultants suggested the finalists to be Austin’s next city manager don wigs, pretend to be tourists or possibly even wear Halloween masks after American-Statesman reporters managed to identify several candidates during the city’s top-secret search for its next leader. That was one of many details revealed in more than 400 pages of communications the city provided in response to a request under the Texas Public Information Act made within hours of officials making the legally murky decision to secretly change the location of a second round of interviewsconducted Nov. [...]

Records reveal drama, disguises in Austin city manager search2017-12-08T15:17:00-06:00
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