Information Data Specialist

City of Midland•Tx, TX

1d•Onsite

About The Position

This person shall be responsible for the City's compliance with the Texas Public Information Act "TPIA" (Chapter 552 of the Texas Government Code). Essential Job Duties include receiving and processing requests submitted to the City of Midland subject to the TPIA, forwarding requests to appropriate City departments, and following up until responsive documents are received. The role requires adherence to strict time deadlines, research using the Texas Attorney General's website and the TPIA handbook, and maintaining a database of all TPIA requests. Responsibilities also involve reviewing and redacting documents using Adobe Acrobat, preparing written responses, and responding to inquiries via telephone and email. The position demands the ability to prioritize and organize work in a fast-paced environment, handle confidential information discreetly, and enforce legal requirements for record dissemination. Specific duties include constant communication with the Police Department, gathering information for MPD requests (body cams, in car footage, fatality packets, photos, policies, etc.), downloading, uploading, and transferring data, completing file notes, processing certain records requests (LexisNexis, Metro Reporting, 108PD Releases), redacting information, printing and updating letters, choosing arguments to ship to the AG, sending messages to requestors through the GovQA portal, mailing requests, closing out requests, and gathering information for subpoenas. Redacting confidential information from footage per AG rulings is also a key responsibility.

Requirements

Must have the ability to effectively communicate with the general public and employees.
Must possess both good telephone and public relations skills.
Skill in the use of personal computer, printers, fax machine and other various office machines is required.
Must be able to read, analyze, and interpret professional journals, technical procedures, or governmental regulations.
The selected individual must be able to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions.
At least three years of experience in submitting requests to the Texas Attorney General under the Texas Public Information Act is preferred.
The ability to prioritize and organize well, work quickly and accurately, and be consistently detailed oriented is essential.
Must possess strong proficiency in MS Office products, including Word, PowerPoint and Excel.
Proficiency in WordPerfect, Adobe Acrobat, Corel Paint Shop, and audio and video editing software is required.
A valid Texas Driver's License is required.

Nice To Haves

A minimum of a High School Diploma and Associate's Degree is preferred.
Texas Paralegal Certification or Associate's Degree as a Paralegal is a plus.

Responsibilities

Receive all requests submitted to the City of Midland subject to the TPIA.
Forward requests to appropriate City departments and follow up with departments until responsive documents are received.
Adhere to strict time deadlines set out under the TPIA.
Perform research using the Texas Attorney General's website and the TPIA handbook.
Maintain database of all requests received under the TPIA.
Review all materials responsive to requests made under the TPIA to ascertain how each request should be handled.
Use Adobe Acrobat to review and redact documents as needed.
Prepare and send written responses to individuals who have requested information.
Respond to questions from individuals requesting information via telephone and email.
Prioritize and organize own work to meet required deadlines.
Perform tasks timely in a fast-paced environment.
Handle highly confidential information discretely.
Maintain complete confidentiality of records.
Possess ability to work non-traditional hours when necessary.
Enforce legal requirements for dissemination of records.
Keep in constant communication with Police Department regarding new requests being processed.
Gather information on behalf of MPD (body cams, in car, fatality packets, photos, policies, etc.).
Contact officers or appropriate departments for any records needed for the request.
Download, upload, and transfer that responsive data to the shared legal drive.
Complete file notes for all MPD requests (provide case statuses).
Process certain records requests (LexisNexis, Metro Reporting, 108PD Releases).
Provide the file note.
Redact information, print and update letters.
Choose arguments to ship to the AG.
Send messages to requestors through the GovQA portal.
Mail requests to the AG and/or requestor.
Close out requests when they are complete.
Gather any information for subpoenas on an as-needed basis for the Custodian of Records.
Redact any confidential information from footage per AG rulings.