$3,300 going once . . .
Jul 16th, 2007 by JamieB
A couple of weeks ago I reported on a lawsuit in which the plaintiff, Craig J. Staudenmaier, argued that Allegheny County officials violated the current Right-to-Know law by charging him $1,000 to produce records he had requested and to which he was entitled. This seemed to him like a lot of money for what he claimed was less than an hour’s worth of work.
Well, that record may turn out to be short-lived because the Press-Enterprise recently reported that Mr. Staudenmaier, who is requesting open records from across Pennsylvania, was billed $3,292.50 by Columbia County.
I have no idea why Mr. Staudenmaier is requesting records throughout the state – and he isn’t saying – but he did tell the newspaper that he has approached about half the counties in Pennsylvania, and they have charged him on average $50-$75 for the same information.
In an editorial, the Press-Enterprise notes that the wildly fluctuating fees “illustrate[s] the confusion over public records in Pennsylvania and underscores the need for a clearer, stronger state Right-to-Know Law. . .
“When thinking about this issue, start from the premise that every record and document created by government at taxpayer expense should be available for inspection and, if desired, duplication by citizens.
“In our country, government derives its authority and legitimacy from the people. In order for the people to keep tabs on that which they have created, they must be able to see the records of its work.”
That sums it up pretty well.
• The issue of open records is getting attention at the local as well as the legislative level. Three candidates for Kennett Square’s borough council published the following letter in this week’s edition of The Kennett Paper, a weekly in southeastern Chester County:
“We urge Kennett Square Borough Council to enact an ordinance at its next meeting guaranteeing free and prompt access to all recorded borough information that the Right to Know Law and the Sunshine Act allow to be released to the public.
Our platform says that we want council to stop closed-door discussions, and we want council to welcome public comment, rather than fight to silence it. We want council to allow public comment before each and every vote.”