Municipal Minutes

As a matter of first impression, a three-judge panel of the Commonwealth Court recently considered whether information shared between a government agency and its contractors is considered “internal to the agency,” and therefore exempt from disclosure under the Pennsylvania Right-to-Know Law (RTKL). The Court held that the public interest is best served by considering communications between an … [Read more...] about Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court Expands Internal Predecisional Exception Under Right To Know Law

December 17, 2013 decision in Smith v. Township of Richmond affirms Commonwealth Court ruling in favor of Township and hones in on the nature of "deliberations." (See MM September 2012 for additional details on the case.) What Happened In 2010, the Township of Richmond was involved in litigation with a cement company and a citizen group regarding the expansion of a limestone quarry into the … [Read more...] about Pennsylvania Supreme Court Clarifies Limits on Private Meeting Discussions By Public Entities

Until recently, there was scant legal guidance on how landlords should dispose of former tenants’ abandoned personal property. This resulted in landlords being placed in the precarious position of either suffering expensive delays in releasing an apartment clogged with a former tenant’s personal property or facing significant potential liability for unilaterally disposing of this property. Relief … [Read more...] about One Person’s Trash Is Another Person’s Treasure: Dealing with Former Tenant’s Abandoned Property