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Residents press township on website, missing 'right‑to‑know' log and possible school‑project conflicts
Summary
Two residents told the board the township’s public records log is missing and alleged that campaign‑finance payments and a political‑action committee may have funded legal representation in a school zoning dispute; board members said the solicitor has recused on school matters and directed complainants to appropriate channels for elections/ethics review.
At the public‑comment portion of the Springettsbury Township Board of Supervisors meeting, residents raised concerns about transparency and potential conflicts of interest involving the township and a pending school‑district zoning matter.
Jeff Kirsch urged improvements to the township’s recently replaced website, saying the new design makes it difficult for residents to find agendas and documents that previously took only a few clicks to access.
Alana Bortolin said a right‑to‑know request log that had been updated previously through May 2023 is no longer available on the website. She also reported seeing a photograph of architectural blueprints for a school building on social media and asked how a resident could have obtained such sensitive material. "Imagine my surprise and horror to see someone sharing on social media a picture of the architectural blueprints that have been provided to the township," Bortolin said. Chair and staff responded that the township manager and staff will look into website issues, and the chair noted the township’s solicitor has recused from representing the board on school‑district matters; other counsel is used for school‑district matters.
Sarah Reinicker, who said she chairs a York Suburban School District PAC, reported she reviewed a campaign finance report for a group she identified as Concerned YS Residents and said the report included expenditures to a law firm (Barley Snyder) and in‑kind legal‑fee entries she said related to local zoning appeals. Reinicker said she would provide the campaign‑finance documents to the board but clarified she was presenting information rather than filing a complaint to the township. The chair and other supervisors told speakers that election‑ and ethics‑related concerns are handled by the county elections board and that the township cannot resolve potential campaign finance violations.
No formal board action was taken on the transparency or campaign‑finance statements at the meeting. Township staff said website issues are being worked on and encouraged citizens with specific record‑request concerns to provide their right‑to‑know request forms to staff for review.
