Assignment Eight - Public Records (Local)

In The Know

Imagine you're a brand new couple, with a brand new baby, just settling down to start your lives as a family. Your significant other just got the job opportunity of a lifetime, and you're having to move away from your friends and family into the big city of Austin Texas. While moving into the unknown is scary for anyone, settling to start a new family with young kiddos adds that much more pressure. Access to the cities public records can ease some moving stress as you can see first hand where you'll be living and who you'll be living around. Public records are your eyes into the world around you and you should take advantage of that access. 

Public records in the city of Austin are readily available to anyone. "The Texas Public Information Act gives you the right to access government records, and the public information officer may not ask why you want them." There are many reasons why you may want to access you local public records. You may want to know the crime rate in your area so you can ask for accident reports for a particular address. You may just want to know the names of every dog in your town. You can even find out the list of parades that are scheduled for your street. None of these are bad reasons to request a public record, because there are no bad reasons to at all! It is simply a personal choice to request, and no one can ask you why. When you go to ask "it's best to submit your request in writing: email, fax, regular letter. Cite the law, be specific about what you're looking for, and ask for a fee waiver, if that's something you qualify for." Be patient, but also stay on top of whomever you request the records from.

No matter what your reasoning is behind your request for public records, it is a valid request. No one can tell you that you cannot have them, or that your reason is not adequate enough, the records are public for a reason. Whether you're scoping out the neighborhood before you settle down with your family or just doing some personal research a public records request would benefit you in your search. Take advantage of the resources that are around you, especially in a big city like Austin Texas. Know what you want, submit your request, and be in the know.