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Crafton council adopts tighter public-records procedure amid concerns about costly broad requests
Summary
Crafton Borough Council on Jan. 9 adopted Resolution 202501 to revise its Right-to-Know policy, requiring written, directed requests to the borough manager and encouraging narrower requests after the borough said prior sweeping requests cost taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars.
Crafton Borough Council on Jan. 9 adopted Resolution 202501, revising borough procedures for public‑records requests under the Pennsylvania Right to Know Law and directing requesters to submit written requests to the borough manager.
The change, introduced during the manager’s report, narrows the administrative process the borough will follow when handling broad or repeated requests from commercial requesters and outside interests. Borough Manager Jim (name on file with the borough) told the council the revisions align the borough’s policy with recent court interpretations of the state law and are intended to discourage sweeping, statewide “blanket” requests that the borough says are used to compile and sell municipal data.
Why it matters: council members said the borough has paid legal and administrative costs responding to unusually broad requests. Jim told the council the borough paid about $27,877 in expenses tied to what he described as a retaliatory lawsuit and response, and another request had cost the borough $41,077.27 because staff produced a very large volume of responsive documents. The manager said those sums were borne by borough taxpayers and that the revised policy will steer routine requesters to narrower, more targeted requests.
Solicitor Corbel said the updated policy incorporates recent court decisions interpreting the Right to Know Law and remains aligned with state requirements. He and Jim described a process in which staff will ask requesters to narrow ambiguous requests; if no clarification is provided the borough may deny or refer the matter to the Office of Open Records for review.
Council members discussed specific provisions, including the policy’s fee language. Jim said statutory limits determine fees: emailed PDFs are free, while costs for CDs, flash drives, or paper copies are set by state law and would be borne by the requester. Councilmembers asked for clarification that the revisions would not prevent legally required compliance; Jim and Solicitor Corbel confirmed the borough will still comply with lawful requests but will seek to limit resource‑intensive, fishing‑style requests.
After discussion, Councilmember Chandler moved to adopt Resolution 202501; Councilmember Hove seconded. The council voted to adopt the resolution.
Ending: The manager and solicitor said the borough will begin applying the revised procedures immediately and will ask requesters to use an online form or the borough’s Right‑to‑Know portal and to address requests to the borough manager for faster handling.
