Right To Know
100 Gettysburg Pike
Mechanicsburg, PA 17055
Phone: (717) 766-0756
Fax: (717) 796-9833
Completed forms can be emailed to info@uatwp.org
DOWNLOAD RIGHT TO KNOW FORM
RIGHT TO KNOW POLICY
General:All documents deemed public records shall be available for inspection, retrieval, and duplication, in accordance with the Pennsylvania Right-to-Know Law, Act 3 of 2008, at the Municipal Building during established business hours (8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.) with the exception of
weekends and holidays.
Requests:Requests shall be made in writing to the Upper Allen Township Open Records Officer on the Pennsylvania Office of Open Records Standard Right-to-Know Request Form or its equivalent (see form below). Written requests for access to records may be submitted in person, by mail, by e-mail, or by facsimile. Township employees should forward requests for records to the Open Records Officer. Written requests should identify or describe the records sought with sufficient specificity to enable the agency to ascertain which records are being requested and shall include the name and address to which the agency should address its response. A written request need not include any explanation of the requester’s reason for requesting or intended use of the records unless otherwise required by law.
Fees:Paper copies, size 11” x 17” or smaller, shall be 25 cents per page per side for black and white copies or 50 cents per page per side for color copies. The certification of a record is $5 per record. Specialized documents including, but not limited to, blue prints, color copies, and other non-standard-sized documents shall be charged the actual cost of production. If mailing is requested, the cost of postage will be charged. The Township shall require prepayment if the total fees are estimated to exceed $100.
Response:Upper Allen Township shall make a good-faith effort to provide the requested public record(s) as promptly as possible. The Open Records Officer shall cooperate with those requesting records to review and/or duplicate original Township documents while taking reasonable measure to protect Township documents from the possibility of theft, damage, and/or modification.
The Open Records Officer shall review all written requests for access to public records. As soon as possible, but no later than five business days after receiving a written request to access public records, the Open Records Officer shall respond to such requests in writing consistent with Act 3 of 2008, the Right-to-Know Law. When responding to a request for access, the Township is not required to create a record which does not currently exist or to compile, maintain, format or
organize a record in a manner in which the Township does not currently compile, maintain, format or organize the record. If access to a record is denied, the response shall include a reason for denial as stipulated in Act 3 of 2008, the Right-to-Know Law.
Contact Information for Appeals:If a written request is denied or deemed denied, the requester may file an appeal in writing to:
Liz Wagenseller, Executive Director
Office of Open Records
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
333 Market Street
16th Floor
Harrisburg, PA 17101-2234
Phone: (717) 346-9903
Fax: (717) 425-5343
Email: openrecords@pa.gov
Website: http://openrecords.pa.gov
Appeals Process:The appeal shall be filed within 15 business days of the mailing date of the Township’s response or within 15 business days of a deemed denial. The appeal shall state the grounds upon which the requester asserts the record is a public record and shall address any grounds stated by the Township for delaying or denying the request.
**Public bodies may fill anonymous verbal or written requests. If the requestor wishes to pursue the relief and remedies provided for in this Act, the request must be in writing. (Section 702.)
Written requests need not include an explanation why information is sought or the intended use of the information unless otherwise required by law. (Section 703.)
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