Public Information Office 210 S. McDonald Street Suite 626 McKinney, Texas 75069 www.collincountytx.gov

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 23, 2007

Texas Attorney General Opinion prompts Collin County to remove certain property information from electronic terminals and the website

(McKinney, TX) – An opinion issued by Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott this week has prompted the county clerk to remove certain property information from electronic terminals and the Collin County website. Attorney General Opinion GA-0519, http://www.oag.state.tx.us/opinions/op50abbott/ga-0519.htm, requires county clerk offices to remove Social Security numbers from all records that fall under the Public Information Act before providing copies to the public. In most cases, this involves property records.

Persons will now only be able to access property indexes and not property images from the county website and electronic terminals. “Too many times, Social Security numbers are unnecessarily included on documentation,” says Collin County Clerk Stacey Kemp.

Persons may still gain access to information by copying the index information from the website and visiting the Collin County Clerk’s office in McKinney. Clerks will then have the ability to make hard copies of the property information and redact any Social Security numbers prior to providing the information to requestors.

The opinion affects all county clerk offices in Texas. Fortunately, Collin County is able to provide limited service without interruption as county clerk offices adjust to this opinion. The redaction of Social Security numbers will be conducted on a case by case basis, and it will also be conducted manually.

“We appreciate the public’s patience during this transition and apologize for any inconvenience,” says Kemp.

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