Source: https://texasattorneygeneral.gov/opinions/openrecords/49cornyn/orl/2000/htm/or200000647.htm
Timestamp: 2017-01-18 08:03:29
Document Index: 383161256

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 159', '§ 159', '§ 311', '§ 311', 'art.\n6252', 'art. 6252', '§ 159', 'art\n5317', '§ 572']

Mr. J. Greg Hudson
1700 Frost Bank Plaza
OR2000-0647
552 of the Government Code. Your request was assigned ID# 132379.
Collin County (the "county"), which you represent, received a request for names of bonding
or insurance companies, amounts of insurance, and addresses for certain named county
officers.(1) The requestor also requested the list of assets of the named county officials. You
assert that the information which is not excepted from disclosure will be released to the
requestor. You claim that a portion of the requested information is excepted from disclosure
under section 552.117 of the Government Code. We have considered the exception you
claim and reviewed the representative sample of documents.(2)
You have submitted to this office representative samples of personal financial statements for
the named county officers. Chapter 159 of the Local Government Code deals with financial
disclosure by county officers. Subchapter A applies to a county with a population of 100,000
or more and Subchapter B applies to a county with a population of 125,000 or more. Local
Gov't Code §§ 159.001, .031. Because Collin County has a population of 125,000 or more,
Subchapters A and B of Chapter 159 of the Local Government Code apply to the county. Subchapter A applies to a "county officer" which includes a county judge, county
commissioner, or county attorney. Local Gov't Code § 159.002. Section 159.003 of
Subchapter A provides that a county officer or candidate for county office must file a
financial statement with the county clerk that complies with sections 572.022 and 572.023
of the Government Code.(3) You acknowledge that section 159.007 of the Local Government Code provides that financial statements filed under Subchapter A are public records.(4) Section 159.007 provides the following:
(a) Financial statements filed under this subchapter are public records. The county clerk shall maintain the statements in
separate alphabetical files and in a manner that is accessible
to the public during regular office hours. (b) During the one-year period following the date of filing of
a financial statement, each time a person, other than the
county clerk or an employee of the county clerk who is acting
on official business, requests to see the financial statement,
the county clerk shall place in the file a statement of the
person's name and address, whom the person represents, and
the date of the request. The county clerk shall retain that
statement in the file for one year after the date the requested
financial statement is filed. (c) The county clerk may, and on notification from a former
officer or candidate shall, destroy any financial statements
filed by the officer or candidate two years after the date the
person ceases to be an officer or candidate, as applicable. You assert that information in the personal financial statements should be excepted from
disclosure under section 552.117 of the Government Code. Section 552.117(1) excepts from
social security numbers of employees and officials of a governmental body who request that
this information remain confidential under section 552.024. Section 552.117(1) also excepts
information that reveals whether an employee has family members.(5) However, the
withholding of information under section 552.117 of the Government Code conflicts with
the express language in section 159.007 providing that financial statements are public
records. Because we are unable to harmonize the two statutes, we must look to the
provisions dealing with conflicting statutes in the Code Construction Act. Gov't Code
§ 311.001. When reviewing conflicting statutes, the Code Construction Act provides that special or local provisions prevail over general provisions unless the general provision was
enacted later than the special or local provision. Gov't Code § 311.026(b); see also City of
Dallas v. Mitchell 870 S.W.2d 21, 22 (Tex. 1994). Because section 159.007 of the Local
Government Code specifically applies to financial statements and was enacted after section
552.117, a statute that has a general application, we conclude that section 159.007 of the
Local Government Code prevails over section 552.117 of the Government under the
provisions of the Code Construction Act.
Further, the Public Information Act's (the "act") exceptions do not, as a general rule, apply
to information made public by other statutes. See Houston Chronicle Publ'g Co. v. Woods,
949 S.W.2d 492, 498-9 (Tex. App.-Beaumont 1997, orig. proceeding) (search warrant
affidavit which is "public information" if executed is open to disclosure without exception);
Houston Chronicle Publ'g Co. v. Edwards, 956 S.W.2d 813 (Tex. App.-Beaumont 1997,
orig. proceeding); Open Records Decision Nos. 525 at 3 (1989) (holding that the act's
exceptions do not apply to information made public by the statutory predecessor to section
2001.004(3) of the Government Code), 146 at 2 (1976) (holding that former V.T.C.S. art.
6252-17a, section 3(a)(3) does not apply to election returns, applications for candidacy, and
campaign expenditure reports made public by common law and statute), 43 at 2 (1974)
(holding that former V.T.C.S. art. 6252-17a, section 3(a)(3) does not apply to traffic accident
reports specifically made public by statute). Further, for compelling reasons of public
policy, publicly-filed documents, such as municipal ordinances, deeds, and liens, cannot be
withheld from disclosure even if they arguably fall within the scope of one of the exceptions
to disclosure found in the act. See Open Records Decision No. 551 at 2-3 (1990); cf.
Star-Telegram, Inc. v. Walker, 834 S.W.2d 54, 57-58 (Tex. 1992) (documents filed
with the court are public documents and must generally be released); Open Records Decision
No. 516 (1989) (governmental body may not invoke section 552.117 to withhold information
when another governmental body is expressly authorized to obtain it). Because section
159.007 of the Local Government Code makes financial statements of county officers public,
the exception from disclosure in section 552.117 of the Government Code does not apply to
the financial statements. Thus, you must release the financial statements of the county judge,
county commissioners, and the district attorney in their entirety. By contrast, Subchapter B of Chapter 159 defines "county officer" as a sheriff, county tax
assessor-collector, county clerk, district clerk, county treasurer, county auditor, or county
purchasing agent but does not include the county officers listed in Subchapter A. Local
Gov't Code § 159.032(1). Section 159.033 allows the commissioners court of the county to
adopt by order a financial disclosure reporting system for the county officers named above. Subchapter B does not include a provision, such as section 159.007, requiring public access
to financial statements of county officers. Consequently, we find that section 552.117 of the
Government Code would apply to information in financial statements of the Collin County
auditor, county clerk, and the sheriff.
Section 552.117(1) of the Government Code excepts from disclosure information that relates
to the home addresses, home telephone numbers, and social security numbers of officials and
employees of a governmental body who request that this information remain confidential
under section 552.024. Section 552.117(1) also excepts information that reveals whether an
official or employee has family members. You have submitted to this office information that
demonstrates that, prior to the date on which the county received the request for information,
the county auditor and county clerk elected to keep their home addresses, home telephone
numbers, social security numbers and family membership confidential. Thus, section
552.117 excepts these officials' home addresses, home telephone numbers, social security
numbers, and family information from disclosure. We have marked information that must
be withheld under section 552.117.(6) Section 552.117(2) excepts from public disclosure a peace officer's home address, home
officer has family members regardless of whether the peace officer complied with section
552.024 of the Government Code. Thus, you must withhold the home address, home
telephone number, social security number, and information regarding family membership in
the financial statement of the sheriff under section 552.117(2) of the Government Code. In summary, the financial statements of the district attorney, county judge, and county
commissioners must be released in their entirety based on section 159.007 of the Local
Government Code. However, you must withhold section 552.117 information in the
financial statements of the county auditor, county clerk, and the sheriff.
Ref:	ID# 132379
cc:	Mr. Herbert Charles Hart
5317 Catamaran Drive
1. The requestor seeks information concerning the county auditor, county clerk, district attorney, county judge, sheriff and the four county commissioners.
2. In reaching our conclusion here, we assume that the "representative sample" of records submitted to this office is truly representative of the requested records as a whole. See Open Records Decision Nos. 499 (1988), 497 (1988). This open records letter does not reach, and therefore does not authorize the withholding of, any other requested records to the extent that those records contain substantially different types of information than that submitted to this office.
3. Section 572.022 of the Government Code provides reporting categories. Section 572.023 of the Government Code provides that the financial statements must contain an account of financial activity of the individual as well as the activity of the individual's spouse and dependent children if the individual had actual control over the activity. Gov't Code § 572.023(a). Section 572.023(b) lists information that is to be included in the account of financial activity. 4. Undoubtedly, there is a significant public interest in the requested information because the financial statements provide information about potential conflicts of interest between the county officer's personal financial investments, including investments of the officer's spouse and dependent children over which the officer has control, and the county's interests.
5. We note that you have submitted section 552.024 election forms which reflect that the officials requested that section 552.117 information be withheld.
6. With regard to the officials covered by Subchapter B, you have only submitted the financial statement of the county clerk. Although you have highlighted section 552.117 information, we have marked additional information which reveals whether the official has family members. POST OFFICE BOX 12548, AUSTIN, TEXAS 78711-2548 TEL: (512) 463-2100 WEB: WWW.OAG.STATE.TX.US