Development News for West Deer, Pennsylvania

Resident Confronts Township Over Delayed Right-to-Know Request and Lack of Transparency

A resident expressed frustration regarding a delayed response to a Right-to-Know request submitted over 100 days prior, exceeding the statutory 5-day initial response window. The resident detailed a series of follow-up emails and conversations with township management that did not result in a formal response or denial, leading to the request being "deemed denied" by law due to non-response. Township staff explained that while a consolidated log of all requests for the year does not exist and is not legally required, they do track requests. They cited the burdensome nature of fulfilling the request, which would involve redacting personal information from each document, as a reason for the delay. The discussion also touched upon the legal implications of the request being deemed denied and the resident's decision not to appeal, opting instead for a less public resolution. The township indicated that a portion of the request, specifically the agency-use-only section of the form, could potentially be provided more quickly after redaction.