Per Chapter 552 of the Texas Government Code, the Texas Public Information Act (the “Act”) requires governmental agencies to make documents and information available to the public by either copying or inspection, that is held by or for a governmental body if it owns or has a right of access to the information, except for the information that the Act exempts or prohibits from disclosure.
Per the Act, the District has ten (10) business days to do one of the following:
- Respond to the request;
- Let the requester know when we can respond to the request;
- Request clarification from a requester; or
- Send a request for a ruling to withhold from the Attorney General’s Office.
- District holidays and weekends are not included in the ten days and we cannot expedite requests.
The District puts a large amount of information on our website for the public to access without having to do an open records request. The District is not obligated to release records that are readily available on our website. We also do not answer questions posed in an open records request. The Act only allows the public to request documents that exist at the time of their request. The District is under no obligation to respond to requests that do not meet the requirements of the Public Information Act.
Requesting Public Records from Wilson County ESD #1
State law provides that a governmental entity can designate a person that is authorized to receive all requests for open records. If such designation is made, the Texas Public Information Act is only activated if the request is directed to such person. Pursuant to Section 552.301(c) of the Act, the District has designated the District’s Administrative Secretary to receive all requests made to the District for public information. As such, the District is not responsible for responding to mailed, e-mailed or faxed requests sent to anyone other than the Administrative Secretary at the address or email below.
Danielle Desomer
District 1 Fire & Rescue
12190 US HWY 87 W La Vernia, TX 78121
Email: [email protected]
Your request should be as specific as possible as to what record you are seeking. Please also indicate in what format you would like the record. You may request records in electronic format or paper copies.
Finally, please specify how you would like the requested information be delivered. District 1 will deliver records in one of the following ways:
- Inspect the record on site
- Pick up paper or electronic copies at District 1, Station 1.
- Receive the information via thumb drive or paper copies via certified mail.
Confidential Information
Please be advised that confidential information is often included in documents held by the District. Some of this confidential information the District can automatically redact or withhold such as social security numbers, dates of birth, drivers license information, vehicle license plate numbers, personal phone numbers, e-mail addresses that do not belong to the district and certain confidential employee information.
For all other confidential information, the Act requires the District to request a ruling from the Texas Attorney General’s Office in order to withhold it. If we request such ruling, you will receive correspondence from us letting you know why we are requesting a ruling from the Attorney General’s Office. The Attorney General’s Office has 45 days to respond to a request for a ruling to withhold documents or information.
Fees for Requested Records
The Texas Public Information Act allows a government entity to recover costs associated with producing records. The fees for such are:
- Paper Copies – $0.10 per page (each side of a page with printed material constitutes 1 page) (labor and overhead may be charged for requests over 50 pages)
- Electronic Copies – $0.10 per page (labor and overhead may be charged for any number of pages as the 50-page rule does not apply to electronic data)
- Certified Mail – Actual Cost
- Labor Costs are prescribed by the Attorney Generals website.
- Other fees may also apply per the Attorney Generals website.
The District will provide an estimate for all records requests prior to proceeding with the request.
Exemption for Fire Reports
The District will not charge for fire reports for individuals or entities that are related to the fire report by being the occupant, owner, investigator or insurance company.