Austin school district sues state over records

AUSTIN — School district officials sued the state attorney general’s office seeking to avoid releasing information about a district police officer fired for falsifying his time sheets, the Austin American-Statesman reported.

Attorney General Greg Abbott’s office ruled Oct. 27 that the records should be released. The officer earlier was indicted on two counts of tampering with a governmental document.

The newspaper submitted an open records request for the officer’s personnel file, hire date, salary and duties, which the district released but balked at releasing copies of letters, memos, faxes, e-mails and correspondence between district officials or with outside sources.

The AG’s office said the district could withhold evidentiary information if law enforcement officials say it is relevant to a pending investigation but the district failed to substantiate that in its request for an opinion.

Governor sues AG over Boeing incentives

AUSTIN — Gov. Rick Perry sued Attorney General Greg Abbott to keep secret the financial incentives the state offered Boeing Co. in negotiations to build a plant in Texas, the Austin American-Statesman reported.

A representative from Texas Central Rail-Corridor Coalition of San Antonio requested documents showing what tax breaks the company would receive.

The Texas Department of Economic Development, run by the governor’s office, asked the attorney general for an opinion saying the information contained confidential commercial data and its release would harm the state’s ability to attract new business.

The AG’s office ruled that some of the information had to be released because the state failed to demonstrate that the information is a protected trade secret.

GLADEWATER — The Gladewater City Council extended a probationary period for Municipal Judge Virginia Beason after learning she required defendants to attend church in lieu of paying fines.

In July the judge required a man to perform community service, serve six months probation and go to church every Sunday for six months instead of paying $746 in fines for not having a valid driver license, holding an expired registration and possessing an open container.

The city manager put the judge on three months probation following the incident but city records show that in September the judge ordered a 14-year-old accused of misdemeanor assault to go to church every Sunday and Wednesday and perform 100 hours community service instead of paying $271 in fines.

Jefferson County did violate meetings law

BEAUMONT — The Jefferson County district attorney said county officials “clearly violated the spirit of the open meetings law” in creating a new county budget officer, The Beaumont Enterprise reported.

The DA’s report, however, stopped short of alleging a technical violation and instead recommended five remedies for county officials to ensure compliance in the future.

The investigation revealed that the county judge’s office transferred funds to the new department days before officials approved the county budget. The county also never held a public hearing on the new department’s creation.

Hospital district rejects pay for open meetings challenge

CONROE — The Montgomery County Hospital District voted 5-1 against paying the legal expenses for two board members who fought charges that they violated the Texas Open Meetings Act, The Courier reported.

The board agreed that board member Nicol Huff and former board member Starlett Curry should pay their own legal bills for the case in which Huff was indicted for contacting other board members to secure votes on the contract of the district administrator.

Huff and prosecutors reached a confidential settlement in the case.

San Felipe withholds cost of auto-cruiser collision

SAN FELIPE — The city asked the attorney general’s office whether it had to release an accounting of the costs incurred in a collision between a police cruiser and a pick up truck on Aug. 20.

The Sealy News filed a request for the information and the city declined to release it citing a myriad of exceptions to the Public Information Act including audit working papers and personnel information.

The police cruiser slammed into the back of the truck as it was preparing to turn into the local post office. The cruiser was destroyed and the officer had to be airlifted to a medical facility. The truck also was damaged.

AG: Name of minors in possession confidential

The attorney general’s office issued a decision Nov. 25 that allows the Grand Prairie Police Department to keep secret the names, address and date of citations issued to minors in possession of alcohol.

The Grand Prairie Independent

School District requested the names of each school-age child cited for consuming or possessing alcohol.

The AG’s decision said the Family Code prohibits the release when the individual is defined as a “child.”

Trustee resigns before travel documents released

FORT WORTH — Fort Worth school board member Jesse Martinez resigned just 12 hours before the district released documents showing he failed to provide receipts for more than $10,000 in travel expenses.

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram requested the documents Oct. 29. The board member told the newspaper his resignation was coincidental and that he had been planning to resign due to mounting complaints about operation of the district.

The newspaper reported in detail the amounts and dates of trips for which the board member received cash advances between 2000 and 2003 but failed to provide receipts. At least one trip to the National School Board Association fell through but district records show that the advance was not returned.

The board member told the newspaper that if he could not find the receipts he would pay back the $10,651.68.

Judge issues gag in juveniles’ plot to slay 20 students

VIDOR— An Orange County court at law judge issued a gag order in a case where two Vidor High School students are accused of plotting to kill 20 fellow students and administrators.

The students face three separate charges but because of the gag order the district attorney would not say whether they would be tried as adults, the Orange Leader reported.

Five students were expelled and two were arrested after administrators uncovered the plan that threatened students and officials, the Leader reported.

Orange sheriff releases tapes, deputies’ service record

ORANGE — The Orange County Sheriff’s Department released copies of a jail booking videotape in which a man arrested on multiple traffic violations claimed he was beaten and poked in the eyes.

The Orange Leader filed an open records request and obtained the tape and the service record of one of the jailers in the incident who later resigned. The records showed the deputy previously had been suspended twice without pay and had been given a “last chance warning” in early 1999 after receiving five write-ups and a demotion.