Doylestown Borough Open Records Policy

Requests

Public records will be available for inspection and copying at the Borough Municipal Building during normal business hours, Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM, with the exception of holidays.

Requests shall be in writing and directed to the Right-to-Know Officer at the Borough Municipal Building. Written requests shall be on a form provided by the Borough or the Pennsylvania Office of Open Records and shall include the date of the request, the name and address of the requester, and a clear description of the records sought.

Document Request Form


Fees

Paper copies will be $0.10 per page per side. If mailing is requested, the cost of postage will be charged. If a disk is requested, it will be provided by the Borough at the cost of $1.00 per disk. A new disk will be necessary each time records are provided. Fax copies will be available at the cost of $0.50 per page. If “True and Correct Certification” is requested, an additional charge of $1.00 will be added for every record for which Certification is requested. Where another statute imposes or permits a fee, that statute will apply. Fees are due prior to the release of the requested records. The Borough may require prepayment if the total fees are estimated to exceed $100.00. (Note: Fees charged represent actual cost to the Borough.)


Response

The Borough will make a good faith effort to provide the requested public records as promptly as feasible. Borough employees shall cooperate with those requesting to review and/or duplicate original Borough documents while taking reasonable measures to protect Borough documents from the possibility of theft and/or modification. The Right-to-Know 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 Right-to-Know Officer shall respond to all such requests in a manner consistent with 65 P.E. § 67.101, et seq., the Right-to- Know Law. For unusually complicated or large requests, the Borough may determine that it needs additional time. If so, the Borough will notify the requester in writing within five days that additional time is needed. In no event will the time exceed thirty days. If the Borough does not respond in five days, or if the Borough does not respond by the date specified in its notification of extension, the request should be deemed denied.


Appeals Process

If a written request is denied or deemed denied, the requestor may file an appeal with the Pennsylvania Office of Open Records, 333 Market Street, 16th Floor, Harrisburg, PA 17126-0333, [email protected], within 15 business days of the mailing date of the Borough’s denial. The exceptions shall state grounds on which the requestor asserts that the record is a public record and shall address any grounds stated by the Borough for denying the request.