Partial records were released July 2; the city says remaining information will follow by July 17.
Originally reported by Jett Whittington for The Alliance Gazette · July 10, 2026.
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The City of Ranger has acknowledged that it failed to respond to a public information request within the time required by state law, and released a portion of the requested records on July 2 after The Alliance Gazette sought comment on the delay.
In a written message to the requestor — a resident who asked not to be identified — City Manager Charlie Archer stated that the City “did not respond … within the required time period” and wrote that the City regretted “that this deadline was allowed to expire.” The message included part of the requested records and said the remainder would follow no later than July 17.
The request and the delay
According to records reviewed by the Gazette, the resident submitted a public information request to the City on June 15, 2026, and the City confirmed receipt the same day. On June 30, the requestor asked the City for an update and received no response at that time.
Under the Texas Public Information Act, a governmental body must promptly release requested information. If it cannot do so within 10 business days, the officer for public information must certify that fact in writing and set a date and time when the records will be available (Tex. Gov’t Code § 552.221). The City neither produced the records nor provided such a written certification within that period — a lapse it later acknowledged.
The Gazette’s inquiry
After being informed of the matter, the Gazette submitted a request for comment to the City, addressed to the City Secretary and copied to the Mayor and City Manager. The Gazette asked the City to describe the status of the request and any circumstances affecting its handling, and invited the City to respond before publication.
Two messages, eight minutes apart
The City replied on July 2. At 5:55 p.m., Archer wrote to the Gazette that “the City of Ranger has responded to the Public Information Request in question,” and described the City’s commitment to transparency and to handling requests “properly and in a timely manner.” That statement did not mention that the request had been answered late.
Eight minutes earlier, at 5:47 p.m., Archer had sent the requestor the message acknowledging that the deadline had expired. The admission the City made to the resident was not reflected in the statement it provided to the Gazette. Both messages were signed by Archer and sent the same evening.
What was released, and what remains
The City provided part of the requested information to the resident on July 2. Archer wrote that “CAD information is not retained by the City of Ranger” and that the remaining records would be sent no later than July 17.
The request had been outstanding since June 15 and was answered on July 2 — the same day the City responded to the Gazette’s request for comment. The Gazette cannot determine from the available records whether its inquiry prompted the City’s action.
What comes next
The Gazette will follow up on whether the City provides the remaining records by its stated July 17 deadline.