All week long, Community Impact Newspaper has been promoting Sunshine Week to remind readers about the importance of open records access for both the press and the general public.

We have told you what open records you can request, some agencies you can request from, how to get them, as well as some proposed law changes that could affect open records access in Texas.

The cities of Sugar Land and Missouri City have a range of open records people can access, so we asked officials what requests are most commonly processed:

Sugar Land

Sugar Land City Secretary Glenda Gundermann confirmed the city receives an average of 140 to 150 open records requests per month. The most commonly requested open records are police reports, followed by permit information for residence and commercial properties.

To submit an open records request to the city of Sugar Land, use the online form.

 

Missouri City

Missouri City City Secretary Maria Jackson processed 500 total public information requests in fiscal year 2016-17 to date. The Missouri City Police Department processed 2,000 requests in that time, while the city’s Fire and rescue Services process 75 requests, and the court department processed 150 requests.

The city also processed 50 attorney general opinion requests in FY 2016-17, according to city data. The most commonly requested public records from the city are commercial and residential building permits, environmental assessment requests, city plans, certificates of occupancy records, property code enforcement records, and fire violations.

Among public information requests processed by police, the most frequently requested were accident reports, calls for service, arrest and offense reports, Cory Stottlemyer, city media relations specialist, said in an email.

To submit a public records request with the city of Missouri City, use the online form.