Every municipal personnel file is one records request from becoming public — and most files weren't built for that moment. The medical note filed loose behind a performance review, the SSN on a 20-year-old form, the police file that has special statutory rules nobody checked: all of it surfaces on a 10-business-day clock, opened by whoever happened to check the mail.
This checklist builds files for production and requests for deadlines: a six-category file structure that pre-separates confidential material, a quick-reference table for what's public versus protected versus redacted, an intake process that date-stamps the clock and routes to a named owner, a production review that redacts data instead of withholding documents, and the AG referral discipline for genuinely hard calls.
Who should use this compliance checklist
- City secretaries and records officers handling PIA requests
- Municipal HR staff structuring personnel files
- Small cities where one person holds HR, payroll, and records
- Police and fire administrators with Chapter 143 considerations
What it helps prevent
- Releasing confidential material because it was filed loose
- Missing the 10-business-day AG referral window
- Treating clearly public information as secret (its own violation)
- Police officer file handling that ignores statutory protections
- Requests routed to someone who didn't know they were requests
What’s inside
- Part 1 — File Categories
- Part 2 — Common Exclusions Quick Reference
- Part 3 — Request Intake and Triage
- Part 4 — Production Review
- Part 5 — Owner and Continuity
Public-sector HR decisions have to survive more than internal disagreement. They have to survive records requests, council questions, budget scrutiny, and public trust.
Faulkner HR Solutions helps Texas employers, nonprofits, municipalities, and growing businesses fix the people systems behind recurring workplace problems. If this resource raised a risk flag, do not guess your way through the next step.