Open Record Requests

Open Record requests are best sent to the City Secretaries office. If you can get a copy of it stamped when you turn in the original, then you will be assured that your request will not be lost or ignored. Costs will vary for your request. Some are quite reasonable, for instance since the Merit Raise information was supplied on a disk it only cost $1.00.

If for some reason you don't want to make the request yourself, you can have a family member or friend make it for you.

You can drop them off, or send them certified mail to the address below. You can sometimes fax them, but that is a bit trickier, and you will need to call and note the name of the person you talked to that verified that your fax was received. You will also want to record the date and time that you talked to them. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE A DALLAS RESIDENT TO MAKE THESE REQUESTS. 

EXAMPLE

Texas Open Records Act Request

To Whom It May Concern,                                                                                                                       

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:  <This is the part that changes. You must be fairly specific in your request. For instance if you wanted to get a copy of all the merits raises awarded last year you would put the following >

>>> I would like an electronic copy of all the merit raises awarded to all Civilian Employees last year. This information should include - Last Name, First Name, Job Description, Job Grade, Department, Org, Appraisal Rating and Appraisal Definition. I would like this information in one of the following electronic formats that will allow data searches; .dbf, .db2, .xls, or .mbd, I do not want them in a .pdf format.

I understand that there will be a costs associated with assembling these records, should the cost not exceed $10.00 I hereby agree to pay those costs. Should the cost be higher, please communicate your estimate to me along with a time line before pulling and copying those records.  You can notify me using the information below when the records are ready to be picked up.   <<<  

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.  

Sincerely,  

Your Name

Your Contact Phone Number  

Today’s Date