Most government agencies in Pennsylvania provide right-to-know law information on their websites, but improvements can still be made, according to a state study.
Most of the 135 government and school websites reviewed by the Pennsylvania Office of Open Records included some information about the state’s right-to-know law, but many did not include all four state-mandated pieces of information:
- 96% provide contact information for the agency open records officer
- 62% provide contact information for the Office of Open Records or other applicable appeals officer
- 81% provide a request form
- 59% provide regulations, policies, and procedures of the agency relating to the right to know law
Just 50% of agencies provide all of the first three items.
The City of Allentown was among the agencies reviewed. It has a link near the bottom of its home page to a right-to-know request form and another link to an FAQ page with information about the agency officer, appeals process and other rules.
City spokesman Mike Moore acknowledged the right-to-know links are somewhat tough to find.
“The city appreciates the outside review. We are going to work on a landing page on the city website as recommended,” Moore said. “We will also be reviewing our Right-to-Know policy and forms to ensure they are accurate and reflect the Office of Open Records guidance contained in the report.”
Moore said Allentown has received and has responded to, or is in the process of responding to, 682 right-to-know requests so far this year. That’s more than double the number received 10 years ago. Pennsylvania’s right to know law went into effect in 2008.
“While some in government shut down RTK responses during the height of the pandemic, Allentown did not, responding to 746 requests last year,” Moore said.
The City of Easton was also reviewed. To get to its right-to-know law web page, you click on the “government” tab, and then scroll down under the “Welcome to City Hall” tab. The page covers the four areas reviewed above.
“The administration has always taken the public’s ability to obtain information seriously,” said Easton City Administrator Luis Campos. “The right-to-know City of Easton web page does offer pertinent information on how to request information and specific contact information for individuals tasked to disseminate information.”
Northampton Community College was also reviewed. For right-to-know law information, you go to the “About” tab on the home page, scroll down to “consumer rights” and click. Right-to-know law information is at the bottom of that page.
Failing to provide accurate, comprehensive, and accessible right-to-know law information may lead to requester errors, according to the Office of Open Records.
“Meeting these requirements is simple and easy. If accountability is a priority, an agency will invite scrutiny, not avoid it,” Office of Open Records Executive Director Liz Wagenseller said.
The Office of Open Records report outlines best practices beyond providing the legally required information, including:
- Ensuring the information is simple to locate
- Providing electronic and printable request forms
- Including links to frequently requested items
- Linking to a municipality’s RTKL information if a police department utilizes the municipality’s open records offcer
The report includes a sample RTKL webpage posting that can be found here. Review the report and learn more about the Office of Open Records at openrecords.pa.gov.
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Rudy Miller may be reached at rmiller@lehighvalleylive.com.
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How easy is it to get public records? Not easy enough, Pa. office says - lehighvalleylive.com
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