With the Freedom of Information Act approaching its 50th anniversary, and an upcoming bill co-authored by Sen. John Cornyn awaiting a presidential signature, the city of McKinney is continuing efforts to remain transparent. In March, the city launched a web page that lists all of its open records requests and the information that results from open record requests. Since its launch, city officials said the city has received 817 requests. City officials said McKinney processed more than 1,200 open records request last year, adding that the system is a big help in being able to keep up with the increased demand for public information as the city continues to grow. The city's initiative through GovQA costs $17,400 annually and tracks public record requests throughout multiple departments, develops a city-wide standard for processing the requests and allows the city to process the requests more quickly. The software also allows the public to access previous open records requests at any time. Those who make public record requests are able to submit a public record request online, track the progress online and receive updates by email. The city will continue to process public record requests received in writing, but written requests will be entered into the GovQA system internally for thorough record keeping. To submit a public records request, visit the open records request web page.