Taxpayer costs add up in disputes over records

POTTSTOWN — As it turns out, freedom of information is not free. The changes to Pennsylvania's Right to Know Law come at a cost to taxpayers, say officials with the Pottstown School District — $13,217 to be exact -- and that's just the legal fees.
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Commissioner charged for township information

A York Township commissioner said he shouldn't have to file Right-to-Know requests to the township to get information that he plans to address during board of commissioner meetings. Read More...

York Township commissioner publicizes RTK requesters

A York Township commissioner said Tuesday night the public should know how much Right-to-Know requests are costing the township and taxpayers. As part of a presentation during Tuesday's meeting, commissioner Paul Knepper used an overhead projector to show the names of people who had made requests and how much each request had cost the township and the person.
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PNA Legal Hotline: Fee schedule for criminal case files

Q: Does the fee schedule for the new Right to Know Law apply to criminal case files in the Magisterial District Courts? Read More...

Office of Open Records: No fees for emailing electronic records

The Office of Open Records says agencies may not charge per-page duplication fees when emailing records that already exist in electronic format. Read More...

Prothonotary’s office now offers documents free in digital form

It used to be that when you wanted a copy of a civil lawsuit filed in Lancaster County, you shelled out a few bucks at the courthouse and walked away with a stack of papers. The county prothonotary's office now provides those records for free in digital form. And by the end of the year, most will be online. Read More...

Pa. open-records chief shows independent spirit

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Weeks before the state Office of Open  Records  opens for business, it's clear that office director Terry Mutchler is not going to simply carry the water for Gov. Ed Rendell — the man who appointed her and is technically her boss. Read More...

Agencies to charge for access to records

Gov. Ed Rendell, who enacted the state's expanded open-records law with his signature, might be one of the first to violate it if state agencies follow a directive his office has issued. Read More...

Pennsylvania sets fee for copying public records

HARRISBURG — People seeking most government records will soon pay no more than 25 cents a page under a new state policy. The fee system, set by the newly created Office of Open Records, will apply to all state agencies and municipal governments when the state's Right to Know Law takes effect Jan. 1. Read More...

Pa. record copies limited to a quarter a page

HARRISBURG (AP) — Starting next year, citizens seeking copies of most public records in Pennsylvania won't be charged more than a quarter a page, under an order that the state's open-records chief plans to issue Monday.
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