Open Records Policy

OPEN RECORDS OFFICER
Rye Township hereby designates Daisy Lightner as the Township’s Open Records Officer.

GENERAL
All documents deemed public records shall be available for inspection, retrieval, and duplication at the Township Municipal Building at 1775 New Valley Road, Marysville during established business hours, Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM, with the exception of holidays and weekends.

REQUESTS
Requests shall be in writing and directed to the Township Open Records Officer on a form provided by the Township. – RTK Request Form.2024

Anonymous requests will be dismissed as they do not meet the definition of a “Requester” in the RTKL.

FEES
Paper copies will be $0.25 per page per side. If mailing is requested, the cost of postage will also be charged. If “True and Correct Certification” is requested, an additional charge of $1.00 per record will be added. Specialized documents including, but not limited to blue prints, color copies, and non-standard sized documents shall be charged the actual cost of production. The Township will require prepayment if the total fees are estimated to exceed $100.00.

RESPONSE
The Township will make a good faith effort to provide the requested public records as promptly as feasible. The Open Records Officer shall cooperate with those requesting records to review and/or duplicate original Township documents while taking reasonable measures to protect Township documents from the possibility of theft and/of modification.

Any person requesting information to inspect/review public records of the Township may do so only by appointment made by the Township Open Records Officer or his/her designee. All inspection shall be made under the direct supervision of the Open Records Officer or a current Supervisor or a current administrative employee, such as the clerk.

Any record which contains information that is subject to access, but also contains information which is not subject to access, shall be redacted by the Township.

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 all such requests in writing consistent with Act 3 of 2008 known as the Right to Know Law.

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
Harrisburg, PA 17101-2234
Phone 717-346-9903

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(s) is/are a public record and shall address any grounds stated by the Township for delaying or denying the request.

Rye Township Resolution No. 11-_07_Right to Know Policy