![]() ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS GREG ABBOTT | |
April 23, 2012 Mr. Sterling T. Burleson, II For Mission Consolidated Independent School District Eichelbaum, Wardell, Hansen, Powell & Mehl, P.C. 4201 West Parmer Lane, Suite A-100 Austin, Texas 78727 OR2012-05726 Dear Mr. Burleson: You ask whether certain information is subject to required public disclosure under the Public Information Act (the "Act"), chapter 552 of the Government Code. Your request was assigned ID# 451281. The Mission Consolidated Independent School District (the "district"), which you represent, received a request for the original and best and final specified vendor responses to request for proposals 25050-12. Although you take no position with respect to the public availability of the requested information, you state the proprietary interests of certain third parties might be implicated. Accordingly, you notified Netsync Network Solutions ("Netsync") and Presidio of the request and of their right to submit arguments to this office explaining why their information should not be released. See Gov't Code § 552.305 (permitting interested third party to submit to attorney general reasons why requested information should not be released); see also Open Records Decision No. 542 (1990) (determining statutory predecessor to section 552.305 permits governmental body to rely on interested third party to raise and explain applicability of exception in certain circumstances). We have reviewed the submitted information. An interested third party is allowed ten business days after the date of its receipt of the governmental body's notice to submit its reasons, if any, as to why information relating to that party should not be released. See Gov't Code § 552.305(d)(2)(B). As of the date of this letter, we have not received arguments from Netsync or Presidio. Thus, neither of these third parties has demonstrated that it has a protected proprietary interest in any of the submitted information. See id. § 552.110(a)-(b); Open Records Decision Nos. 661 at 5-6 (1999) (to prevent disclosure of commercial or financial information, party must show by specific factual evidence, not conclusory or generalized allegations, that release of requested information would cause that party substantial competitive harm), 552 at 5 (1990) (party must establish prima facie case that information is trade secret), 542 at 3. Accordingly, the district may not withhold the submitted information on the basis of any proprietary interests these parties may have in the information. As no exceptions to disclosure have been raised, the district must release the submitted information. This letter ruling is limited to the particular information at issue in this request and limited to the facts as presented to us; therefore, this ruling must not be relied upon as a previous determination regarding any other information or any other circumstances. This ruling triggers important deadlines regarding the rights and responsibilities of the governmental body and of the requestor. For more information concerning those rights and responsibilities, please visit our website at http://www.oag.state.tx.us/open/index_orl.php, or call the Office of the Attorney General's Open Government Hotline, toll free, at (877) 673-6839. Questions concerning the allowable charges for providing public information under the Act must be directed to the Cost Rules Administrator of the Office of the Attorney General, toll free at (888) 672-6787. Sincerely, Cynthia G. Tynan Assistant Attorney General Open Records Division CGT/em Ref: ID# 451281 Enc. Submitted documents c: Requestor (w/o enclosures) Mr. Calvin Douglas Presidio P.O. Box 333 Helotes, Texas 78023 (w/o enclosures)
POST OFFICE BOX 12548, AUSTIN, TEXAS 78711-2548 TEL: (512) 463-2100 WEB: WWW.OAG.STATE.TX.US |