Public information requests delayed

On Thursday, citizens making public information requests were notified that the city of Austin had asked the Texas attorney general’s office “to suspend certain deadlines under the Texas Public Information Act for seven calendar days. This notice and the suspension will allow city departments involved in the response to last week’s winter weather to have time to respond to public information requests received during that time.” The provision allowing the city to submit what is called a “catastrophe notice” allows the city to suspend parts of the Public Information Act to give it extra time to respond to public information requests. “Any pending public information requests that have been received will be paused for seven calendar days and new public information requests that are received over the next seven calendar days will be deemed received on February 13, 2023.” However, departments not affected by the winter storm “should continue to respond to public information requests under normal procedures,” the city said. The Texas Legislature approved changes to the law in 2019 in response to Hurricane Harvey. The city did not provide a list of departments impacted by the recent storm, but it undoubtedly includes Austin Energy, Austin Travis County EMS, the Austin Fire Department, and the Parks and Recreation Department. An Austin Monitor reporter who made a PIR on Jan. 27 was told she would receive a response by March 6.