Requests for Public Information

Texas Public Information Act (PIA)


The City of Bulverde strives to provide it's citizens with superior service in all areas of operation. Under most circumstances, citizens can contact a city department directly and ask questions about routine matters. Usually, these requests can be dealt with over the phone. However, occasionally citizens may wish to receive additional information or documentation related to city business.

Under the Texas Public Information Act (PIA), formerly the Texas Open Records Act, citizens are entitled to view or receive copies of most of the documents and data created and compiled by government entities, including municipalities. In order to exercise this right, a Request for Public Information must be filed with the Officer for Public Information through the City Secretary's Office. We strongly recommend that citizens use the request form on this page to ensure that the request is properly filled out, routed, and tracked.
  1. Request Guidelines
  2. Submission Information
In order to ensure that you receive the requested information in as little time as possible, please remember that all requests must meet certain guidelines, including:
  1. Requests must be submitted in writing. Verbal requests will not be accepted.
  2. Requests must seek documents or data that are in existence at the time of the request. The PIA does not require the city to analyze information, create new documents, or answer questions.
  3. Certain sensitive information is exempt from release to the general public, and the city is required to withhold it under the PIA. This includes Social Security numbers, certain financial information, documents and information relating to an ongoing criminal investigation, most information relating to minors, and information subject to the attorney client privilege. Request for this type of information will usually be referred to the Texas Attorney General's Office for a determination on whether or not the information can be released.
  4. The city is entitled under the PIA to recover the costs associated with fulfilling a request. Generally, requests totaling less than $40 in recoverable expenses will be completed and the requestor will be billed for the outstanding balance. Requests that are estimated to exceed $40 in recoverable expenses will be suspended and the requestor will be notified to either accept the charges or amend the request. Requests that are estimated to exceed $100 in in recoverable charges will be suspended and the requestor will be informed that they must either pay the estimated charges in full prior to the request being fulfilled, or amend the request.
Requests for Public Information that do not conform to the requirements listed above will be returned to the requestor with a letter detailing the deficiencies. Requests that are properly submitted will be responded to within a reasonable amount of time. If the City cannot produce the requested information within 10 Business Days, the City will notify the requestor. All questions relating to the Public Information Request process should be forwarded to the City Secretary's Office.