Public Information Act Dispute
Manor, Texas resident Robert Edward Battaile says he will file two criminal complaints over a Public Information Act request labeled PIR-264-2025. He alleges the City sent a contract and minutes tied to a ground-penetrating radar (GPR) cemetery project while stating “no responsive records” for the GPR results and the funding account.
A second draft names the City Attorney and references a note he attributes to that office about municipal-court jurisdiction. Battaile alleges the City did not seek an Attorney General ruling. These are his allegations. NewsBlaze is seeking the City’s legal position.
Battaile also shared prior cost figures for other requests, including an $18 payment on the GPR request and a separate, larger estimate on different records. He characterizes one estimate as exorbitant. NewsBlaze will seek the City’s calculations and itemization.
What The Texas Public Information Act Does
The Texas Public Information Act (PIA) lets anyone request government records from Texas public bodies. If a city wants to withhold records, it generally must ask the Texas Attorney General for a decision within statutory deadlines. Agencies must “promptly” produce public records and, when withholding, follow the PIA’s decision-request process.
Under the state’s cost rules, agencies may charge for copies and, in some cases, labor. Rules set default copy rates and allow labor charges (with an overhead component) when search or programming time exceeds thresholds, and they require an itemized cost estimate above certain amounts. Requesters may ask for electronic delivery.
Context: Manor, Texas
Manor sits in Travis County, roughly 15 miles east of Austin. Recent reporting describes rapid growth and significant commercial development along FM 973 and U.S. 290. City demographic material prepared in 2025 also highlights expansion pressures consistent with that growth.
Meaning
What a PIA Dispute Means for Readers:
It tests how a city handles record searches, cost estimates, and any decision to withhold. The Texas Attorney General’s Open Records Division oversees withholdings by issuing rulings when requested. Agencies that withhold information without a timely ruling risk non-compliance with the Act.
What We Will Request Today
NewsBlaze will request the complete PIR-264-2025 file, including the original request, the City’s notices, any contracts or minutes, the $18 receipt, any GPR deliverables (reports, maps, images, or data), and ledger entries showing funding sources.
We will ask whether the City sought an Attorney General ruling on any withheld materials and for the date-stamped submission if it did. We will also request docket sheets and signed orders from Travis County to verify the status of any criminal matters referenced in the filings.
We will ask the City to point us to its PIA portal and fee schedule, and to provide any itemized cost estimates that exceed statutory thresholds, as contemplated by state rules.
Responses
Court access note: In a separate confirmation on Oct. 31, 2025, Fifteenth Court Clerk Christopher A. Prine provided live docket links for 15-25-00142-CV (appeal) and 15-25-00153-CV (mandamus). He said filings, orders, and correspondence can be viewed and printed from the portal; the appeal’s clerk and reporter records are not downloadable. Certified copies cost $1/page (minimum $5).
How to Read This
These are Robert Battaile’s assertions. The City of Manor‘s responses and any Attorney General correspondence will determine the next steps. NewsBlaze will publish the City’s response, any AG ruling references, and the PIR-264-2025 file when received under the Texas Public Information Act.
