1. Requesters may make oral requests for access to records. However, if the requester wishes to pursue the relief and remedies provided for in the Right-to-Know Law, the request for access to records must be a written request. A written request for access to records may be submitted in person, by mail, by e-mail, or by facsimile.
2. The Township has designated Barbara Shaffer, to act as the Open-Records Officer (“Officer”). The Officer's contact information is set forth below:
Barbara Shaffer
P.O. Box 125
118 Tea Hollow Lane
Coburn, PA 16832
Phone: (814) 349-8886
Fax: (814) 349-5525
e-mail: penntownshipcentre@verizon.net
P.O. Box 125
118 Tea Hollow Lane
Coburn, PA 16832
Phone: (814) 349-8886
Fax: (814) 349-5525
e-mail: penntownshipcentre@verizon.net
3. Questions regarding this policy may be directed to the Officer at the telephone, fax number or e-mail address listed above.
4. All written requests must be addressed to the Officer. In the event a written request for records is addressed to a Township employee other than the Officer, the Township employee is hereby directed to promptly forward such requests to the Officer.
5. Written requests should identify or describe the record sought with sufficient specificity to enable the Township to ascertain which records are being requested. Unless otherwise required by law, a written request need not include any explanation of the requester's reason for requesting the records or the intended use of such records. The Township shall assign a tracking number to each filed form so as to track the Township's progress in responding to requests under the new Right-to-Know Law.
6. Prior to granting a request for access in accordance with the Right-to-Know Law, the Township may require a requester to prepay an estimate of the fees authorized by law if the fees required to fulfill the request are expected to exceed $100. The fees must be reasonable and based on prevailing fees for comparable duplication services provided by local business entities. Except as otherwise provided by statute, no other fees may be imposed unless the agency necessarily incurs costs for complying with the request, and such fees must be reasonable.
7. In all circumstances, the requester must agree to pay applicable fees authorized by the new Right-to-Know Law, such as, but not limited to, postage (not to exceed actual cost of mailing) duplication and certification. All applicable fees shall be paid before a requester receives access to the record(s) requested.
8. A record being provided to a requester shall be provided in the medium requested if it exists in that medium; otherwise, it shall be provided in the medium in which it exists. In other words, the Township shall not be required to create a record which does not currently exist or to otherwise compile, maintain, format or organize a record in a manner in which it does not currently compile, maintain, format or organize such record. The Township may impose reasonable fees for official certification of copies if the certification is at the behest of the requester and for the purpose of legally verifying the public record.
9. Upon receipt of a written request for a public record, the Officer shall do the following:
A. Note the date of the receipt on the written request.
B. Compute the day on which the 5-day period (see discussion of response, below) will expire, and make a notation of that date on the written request
C. Create a file for the retention of the original request, a copy of the response, a record of written communications with the requester, and a copy of other communications.
(Res. 2008-04, 12/4/2008, § 1)