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Williamson County approves PIA coordinator for elections to speed public‑records responses
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Summary
The commissioners unanimously approved a midyear, grant‑funded Public Information Act coordinator position for the Elections Department to manage large, redaction‑intensive records requests; officials said the role responds to heavier volumes and new redaction requirements under 2024 law.
The Williamson County Commissioners Court on April 2026 approved creation of a full‑time Public Information Act (PIA) coordinator in the Elections Department to help process, redact and respond to high‑volume records requests.
Bridget Escobedo, the county's elections administrator, told the court the office is 'overrun' during election periods and faces more extensive redaction duties since a 2024 change in the law. She said two outstanding records requests in her office currently require nearly 700,000 records to be redacted and that the extra staff would focus on intake, tracking and coordination with other departments.
County Attorney D. Hobbs said the request followed internal efforts to improve workflow and that additional staff was recommended only after attempting other solutions. Commissioners asked about cost recovery; Escobedo said statutory limits narrow what the county may charge requesters, so most production costs fall to the county. Commissioner questions also probed whether paying for a new position midyear was appropriate and whether the role could be funded through requester fees; staff explained the legal and practical limits on charging full production costs.
The court approved the midyear, grant‑funded position by voice vote, 5‑0. Court records show the request for partial-year funding was being covered in current fiscal allocations and that the position is aimed at reducing backlog and meeting statutory response deadlines.
Officials said requests should continue to be submitted through the county's website intake portal so they can be tracked. The court directed staff to return with implementation details and to provide further budget clarifications as needed.
