Mar 2009
Transparency would pay dividends
March 29, 2009 |
The truth may be the best defense for elected and
appointed officials who fear scrutiny of spending
may distract attention from worthwhile
initiatives. Former Bucknell President Gary Sojka
serves on the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board
and said a recent flurry of criticism of the
board's spending feels "like a cheap shot."
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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
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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.
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Citizens are driving open government
March 18, 2009 |
A seismic shift in open government rocked the
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania at midnight on Jan.
1, 2009, and I am happy to report that the
Keystone State has not yet crumbled, or even
cracked, because of it. Read
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Pa. public officials cannot close meetings when it suits them
March 17, 2009 |
This is National Sunshine Week, dedicated to
celebrating the importance of open government and
freedom of information. Sadly, though, here in
the Philadelphia region, the forecast calls for
clouds and closed government. Read
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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
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Opinion: Legislature should put teeth in the state's Sunshine Act
March 15, 2009 |
In Pennsylvania, which just this year implemented
its much-improved Open Records Act, illegal
secret meetings have become a joke, because those
who knowingly engage in such sessions are well
aware that no punitive measure will be taken even
if the courts rule that the private gathering
violated the state Sunshine Act. Read
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Negative coverage divides Radnor
March 15, 2009 | Filed in: RTK request
stories | Open
records | Open
meetings | Sunshine
Act | Government
transparency | Radnor Twp
For some Radnor residents, the controversy
surrounding the township manager and his salary
bonuses wasn't as troubling as the widespread
news coverage. Unaccustomed in many ways to the
glare of publicity, they are questioning how open
township business should really be. Read
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Public records advocate: In Pa., a 'new era of openness'
March 14, 2009 | Filed in: New RTK
Law | Open
records | Office of
Open Records | PaFOIC
| Dept. of
Public Welfare | Chalfont
| Worcester
Twp | Shrewsbury
Twp | Wattsburg
The York Daily Record/Sunday News asked Kim de
Bourbon, executive director of the Pennsylvania
Freedom of Information Coalition, some questions
about the state's new open records law, which is
2½ months old. Read
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THE WATCHDOG: Chalfont Council gets Right to Know law
March 12, 2009 |
In a victory for open government, Chalfont
Council decided Tuesday to continue recording its
meetings. That means civic-minded citizens can
stay involved by asking for copies of meeting
tapes, which they can listen to at home instead
of watching re-runs one night. Read
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PNA Legal: Police incident reports
One of the most frequent questions to our legal
hotline is, "What records should I be able to get
from the state or local police?" Read
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PNA Legal Hotline: Settlement agreements are public record
Q: Are settlement agreements public? Can an
agency rely upon a confidentiality clause in a
settlement agreement to deny access?
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Vote to keep committee meetings private breaks down along party lines
March 11, 2009 | Filed in: Sunshine
Act | Open
meetings | Government
transparency | Lower Merion
Twp
ARDMORE — The Lower Merion Board of Commissioners
will keep its Ad Hoc Budget Committee, and it
will keep that committee’s meetings closed to the
public. That was the answer to a citizen’s
open-meetings challenge in a lengthy discussion
Wednesday night. Read
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PNA Legal: Questions for the Office of Open Records
March 11, 2009 | Filed in: PNA Legal
| Open
records | Office of
Open Records | Investigative
records | Board
documents
Yesterday, we wrote about some of the early
decisions of the Office of
Open Records (OOR). We are continuing
that discussion today, raising some of our
questions and concerns about the first group
of decisions. Read
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PNA Legal: Our thoughts on the first decisions of the Office of Open Records
March 10, 2009 | Filed in: PNA Legal
| Open
records | Office of
Open Records | Final
determinations | Financial
records | Burden of
proof | Investigative
records
After reviewing the first “Final Determinations”
issued by the Office of Open Records (OOR), we
see some lessons in them for requesters and
agencies. Not surprisingly, the decisions also
raise some questions and concerns. Here are our
thoughts on the first round of decisions.
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Radnor board axes manager over alleged bonus cover-up
Radnor Township's Board of Commissioners voted
unanimously last night to suspend Bashore and
request his resignation after the recent
discovery that he had distributed hundreds of
thousands of dollars in bonuses - $141,500 for
himself - then allegedly attempted to cover his
trail by falsifying financial documents.
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Bills would boost spending transparency
March 06, 2009 | Filed in: Government
transparency | SB
105 Taxpayer Transparency Act
At least 11 states — Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho,
Illinois, Iowa, Montana, Ohio, Oregon,
Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Wyoming — are
considering or recently have considered
legislation to create online budget and spending
databases. They could join more than a dozen
other states which have passed similar
legislation or issued executive or department
orders since 2007. Read
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PNA Legal Hotline: W-2s of public employees
Q: Am I entitled to copies of the W-2s of public
employees? I want to determine the total income
they are receiving. Read
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The decisions are in ... New Open Records Office issues first “Final Determinations”
March 05, 2009 | Filed in: PNA Legal
| Final
determinations
Since February 19, Pennsylvania’s Office of Open
Records has issued 11 “final determinations” on
open records disputes in the Commonwealth, and
the results are mostly encouraging. These
decisions are binding, unless appealed within 30
days. It is highly likely that some of these
decisions will be appealed. Read
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Lower Merion commissioners keep ad hoc budget meetings private
The Lower Merion Township Board of Commissioners
will keep its Ad Hoc Budget Committee, and it
will keep that committee’s meetings closed to the
public. That was the answer to a citizen’s
open-meetings challenge in a lengthy discussion
Wednesday night.
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Township manager's spending draws questions in Radnor
Imagine a job that includes a six-figure salary,
a generous benefits package, an interest-free
loan for a new house, an SUV for personal use and
the ability to award yourself no-questions-asked
bonuses every year. Welcome to Dave Bashore's
world. Bashore's contract and other previously
undisclosed documents were pried loose in recent
months by residents who filed records requests
under Pennsylvania's Right to Know Law, which was
strengthened this year. Read
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Lobbyist-lawmaker e-mails still off limits
March 03, 2009 |
Citizens of Pennsylvania are being given
unprecedented access to the business of its
public bodies with the Right-to-Know Law
revisions. But we don't get to be a fly on the
wall. That's what e-mail correspondence between
lawmakers and lobbyists would amount to.
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PHEAA foundation chief fired, board blasts expenses
Michael Hershock was given an ultimatum Friday to
resign or be fired from what is perhaps the most
lucrative part-time job in state government. The
president and CEO of the nonprofit Pennsylvania
Higher Education Foundation chose to be fired
over a dispute about travel expenses. Foundation
board members became aware of the expenses when
they reviewed records requested by The
Patriot-News through the state's new Right to
Know Law. Read
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Open-records law fuels spats with municipalities
Every community has one: the gadfly, the
complainer, the curmudgeon. They are there to
keep local government honest, with help from the
state's new Right to Know Law that took effect in
January. But some municipalities are starting to
complain that the law is miring them in paper
work and creating logistical and financial
headaches. Read
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THE WATCHDOG: New records law opening up access
March 01, 2009 |
Early evidence shows Pennsylvania's new Right to
Know Law is doing what it's designed to, giving
the public more access to records that show how
governments are behaving and spending tax money.
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