Township of Exeter, PA Chapter 95 Records

[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Supervisors of the Township of Exeter as indicated in article histories. Amendments noted where applicable.]

Article I Right-to-Know Policy

[Adopted 12-22-2008 by Res. No. 08-27]

§ 95-1 Open Records Officer.

The Township hereby designates Eva M. Waldman as the Township Open Records Officer. The Open Records Officer may be reached at 4975 DeMoss Road, Reading, PA 19606, telephone [phone], fax [phone] or e-mail [e-mail]

§ 95-2 Availability of records.

All documents deemed public records shall be available for inspection, retrieval, and duplication at the Municipal Building during established business hours (8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.) with the exception of weekends and holidays.

§ 95-3 Requests.

Requests shall be made in writing to the Township Open Records Officer on a form provided by the township. (See attached form.)[1]

[1] Editor's Note: The current records request form is available from the Open Records Officer.

§ 95-4 Fees.

Paper copies shall be $0.25 cents per page per side. The certification of a record is $1 per record. Specialized documents, including, but not limited to, blueprints, color copies, and nonstandard-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. Fees may be amended from time to time by resolution.[1]

[1] Editor's Note: The current fee resolution is on file in the office of the Township Secretary.

§ 95-5 Response.

A. 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.

B. 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.[1]

[1] Editor's Note: See 65 P.S. § 67.101 et seq.

C. If access to a record is denied, the response shall include a reason for denial as stipulated in Act 3 of 2008, the Right-to-Know Law.

§ 95-6 Contact information for appeals.

A. If a written request is denied or deemed denied, the requester may file an appeal, in writing, to the Executive Director, Office of Open Records, Commonwealth Keystone Building, 400 North Street, Plaza Level, Harrisburg, PA 17120-0225

B. Appeals of criminal records shall be made to the District Attorney of Berks County.

§ 95-7 Appeals process.

The appeal shall be filed within 15 business days of the mailing date of the Township's 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.