Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Right To Know Policy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Perkiomen Valley reviews right‑to‑know updates, clarifies response timelines
Summary
Policy committee reviewed proposed updates to the district's right‑to‑know (public records) policy, noting five‑day initial response requirements for identified requesters, a possible 30‑day extension, and questions about exemptions for third‑party vendors; staff will consider administrative regulation clarifications.
Speaker 2 (administrator) summarized revisions to the district's right‑to‑know policy, highlighting that anonymous requesters are not entitled to a response and that identified requesters receive an initial district response within five days with a possible 30‑day extension. Speaker 2 noted fee language was updated but said the district has historically not charged for requests given most records are digital.
Why it matters: Changes to the right‑to‑know policy determine how the district responds to public records requests and how third‑party vendor records are handled, which affects transparency and workload for the business office and right‑to‑know officer (Mister Ganesh).
What was discussed: The committee reviewed obligations when requests are based on third‑party vendors' work for a governmental function and agreed staff will define exemptions in an administrative regulation to clarify what is exempt and what must be produced. Speaker 2 said he would defer to Mister Ganesh for written communications to requesters and that additional research time sometimes justifies a 30‑day extension.
Decisions and next steps: No formal policy adoption occurred. Staff will draft clarifying administrative regulations listing exemptions and explanatory text for the committee's next review.
Ending: Committee members asked that the next draft include PSBA citations and clearer references so members can verify underlying legal authority before adoption.
