AUTHORITY TO ESTABLISH COMPUTERIZED ELECTRONIC INFORMATION SYSTEM

(a) The commissioners court of a county by order may provide for the establishment and operation of a computerized electronic information system through which it may provide on a contractual basis direct access to information that relates to all or some county and precinct records and records of the district courts and courts of appeals having jurisdiction in the county, that is public information, and that is stored or processed in the system. The commissioners court may make records available through the system only if the custodian of the records agrees in writing to allow public access under this section to the records. (b) The commissioners court may: (1) provide procedures for the establishment, maintenance, and operation of the information system; (2) establish eligibility criteria for users; (3) delineate the public information to be available through the system; (4) set a reasonable fee, charged under a contract, for use of the system; and (5) consolidate billing and collection of fees and payments under one county department or office. (c) The commissioners court may contract with a person or other governmental agency for the development, acquisition, maintenance, or operation of: (1) the information system or any component of the information system, including telecommunication services necessary for access to the system; and (2) billing and collection services for the system.