PA Right To Know Law

PA RIGHT TO KNOW LAW


Open Records Officeropenrecordsicon

Township manager/treasurer Teri Lewis functions as our township's Open Records Officer. The Open Records Officer may be reached at 589 Lake Warren Road, Upper Black Eddy, PA 18972, phone (610) 847-5058, fax (610) 847-5812, or e-mail at .

General
All documents deemed public records shall be available for inspection, retrieval, and duplication at the Municipal Building during established business hours 8:00 am - 4:30 pm with the exception of weekends and holidays.

Requests

Requests shall be made in writing to the township Open Records Officer on a form provided by the township. (Download RIGHT TO KNOW Form HERE).

Fees

  • Paper copies shall be .25 per page.
  • Certification of a record is $1.00 per record.
  • Specialized documents including, but not limited to, blueprints, color copies and non-standard sized documents shall be charged the actual cost of production.
  • If mailing is requested, the cost of postage will be charged.

The township shall require prepayment if the total fees are estimated to exceed $100.00.

Response
The township shall make a good-faith effort to provide the requested public record(s) as promptly as possible. The Open Records Officer shall cooperate with those requesting records to review and/or duplicate original township documents while taking reasonable measure to protect township documents from the possibility of theft, damage, and/or modification. The Open Records Officer shall review all written requests for access to public records. As soon as possible, but no later than five business days after receiving a written request to access public records, the Open Records Officer shall respond to such requests in writing consistent with Act 3 of 2008, the Right-to-Know Law. If access to a record is denied, the response shall include reason for denial as stipulated in Act 3 of 2009, the Right-to-Know Law.

Contact Information for Appeals
If a written request is denied or deemed denied, the requester may file an appeal in writing to Office of Open Records, 333 Market Street, 16th Floor, Harrisburg, PA 17126-0333.

Appeals Process
The appeal shall be filed within 15 business days of the mailing date of the townships response or within 15 business days of a deemed denial. The appeal shall state the grounds upon which the requester asserts the records is a public record and shall address any grounds stated by the township for delaying or denying the request.