Policy Governing Public Requests for College Documents

Appendix   

HOWARD COUNTY JUNIOR COLLEGE DISTRICT

Policy Governing Public Requests for College Documents

The Public Information Act, Texas Government Code Chapter 552, gives individuals the right to access government records; and an officer for public information and the officer’s agent may not ask why they want them. All government information is presumed to be available to the public.

Governmental bodies shall promptly release requested information that is not confidential by law, either constitutional, statutory, or by judicial decision, or information for which an exception to disclosure has not been sought.

More detailed information on the Public Information Act may be found on the Office of Attorney General (OAG) web site:  https://www.oag.state.tx.us/open/index.shtml. If you have questions regarding the Public Information Act, please call the OAG’s Open Government hotline at (512) 478-OPEN (6736) or (877) OPEN-TEX (673-6839).

Submitting a Request:
Howard College is in compliance with the Open Records Act and follows the procedures identified in the Public Information Act and in the most current Public Information Handbook produced by the Office of the Attorney General. 

Outside parties who wish to make a formal request for public information shall send in a written request including details of information requested and format for distribution. Only written requests trigger a governmental body’s obligations under the Public Information Act. No specific form is required. All written requests for public information should be sent to:
 

All requests will be reviewed and, following established policy, a determination will be made as to whether or not the information requested is public in nature. If the information is determined to be public in nature, the requested party will be charged according to established policy and will not exceed the legal amount established by H.B. 6 (Article 6252-17a, Vernon’s Revised Civil Statutes of Texas). The requesting party will be notified of charges for approval prior to processing the request. If the information is determined not to be public in nature, the requesting party will be notified, and the information will not be released.
 

Cost of Copies
Howard College uses the rules established by the Office of the Attorney General in determining the charges for providing copies of public information or for making public information available for inspection. See the next page for fees that have been established for the college district.

Originally adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Howard County Junior College District the February 12, 1974, revised November 20, 1979, December 15, 1981, April 25, 1994, January 22, 1996, and August 6, 2015.

/S/ Dr. John Freeman

Chairman

CHARGES FOR PUBLIC RECORDS

Effective January 27, 2016

  1.     Paper Copy

         A.  Standard Size –Black/White (up to 8 ½ x 14)     $.10 per page

         B.  Standard Size –Color (up to 8 ½ x 14)               $.50 per page

         C.  Nonstandard size (larger than 8 ½ x 14)            $.50 per page

         D.   Nonstandard-size-Color (larger than 8 ½ x 14) $1.00 per page

         E.   Specialty Paper                                                  Actual Cost

2.     Fax Charge

         A.  Local                                                                   $.10 per page

         B.  Long Distance                                                    $.50 per page

3.     Nonstandard Copy

         A.  Diskette                                                               $1.00 each

         B.  Magnetic tape                                                     Actual Cost

         C.  VHS video cassette                                            $2.50

         D.  Audio cassette                                                    $1.00

         E.  Rewritable CD (CD-RW)                                     $1.00

         F.   Digital Video (DVD)                                            $3.00

         G.  JAZ Drive                                                           Actual Cost

         H.  Other                                                                  Actual Cost

4.     Personnel charge                                                     $15.00 per hour

5.     Overhead charge                                                     20% of personnel charge - Govt Code Chapter 552.261(a)

6.     Microfiche or microfilm charge

         A.  Paper copy                                                         $.10 per page

         B.  Fiche or film copy                                               Actual Cost

7.     Remote document retrieval charge                          Actual Cost

8.     Computer resource charge

         A.  Mainframe                                                          $10.00 per CPU minute

         B.  Midsize                                                              $1.50 per CPU minute

         C.  PC                                                                     $1.00 per clock hour

         D.  Client/Services                                                  $2.20 per clock hour

 9.     Programming time charge                                      $28.50 per hour - Govt Code Chapter 552.231

10.     Miscellaneous supplies                                          Actual Cost

11.     Postage and shipping charge                                 Actual Cost

12.     Processing a Request for Public Information         $15.00 per hour

13.     Scanning Fees                                                       $.10 per page

14.     Other Costs                                                            Actual Cost