RIGHT TO KNOW ACT
Open Record Officer
Pursuant to 65P.S. – 67.502 The township hereby designates Diana Blume as the township Open Records Officer. Questions and requests of the Open Records Officer may be directed to 159 Twin Lakes Road, Shohola, PA 18458 Phone: (570) 559-7523.
E-mail: shohtwp@ptd.net
General
All documents deemed public records shall be available for inspection, retrieval, and duplication at the Municipal Building during established business hours 8:30 am to 3:00 pm with the exception of weekends and holidays.
Requests
Requests shall be made in writing to the township Open Records Officer on the form provided by the township.
Fees
Pursuant to 65P.S. – 67.1307 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 blue prints, color copies and non-standard sized documents shall be charged the actual cost of production, such copies will need to be made off premises and additional fulfillment time may be required. 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.
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 a 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 Terry Mutchler, Executive Director, Office of Open Records, Commonwealth Keystone Building 400 North Street, Plaza Level Harrisburg, PA 17120-0225.
Appeals of criminal records shall be made to the District Attorney of Pike County, 506 Broad St., Milford, PA 18337.
Phone (570) 296-3485.
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 in a public record and shall address any grounds stated by the township for delaying or denying the request.
RESOLVED AND ENACTED this 10 of December 2009 by the Shohola Township Board of Supervisors.
Download the documents:
Right To Know Request Form