Resident raises right-to-know complaint over meeting recordings

Marie DeGangi, a resident who identified herself at the start of the meeting, urged the Huntington Township Board of Supervisors to preserve and release recordings after saying she had filed right-to-know requests for the Dec. 8 and Jan. 3 meetings and for correspondence with PSATS.

"The reason I'm here this evening is to petition redress of grievances ... and to exercise the rights and protections under the first amendment," DeGangi said, and she later cited the Pennsylvania municipal records manual and a municipal-records statute to argue recordings used to prepare minutes must be retained until the minutes are approved.

DeGangi said Chair Geist told her a recording was "only for the secretary's use," and she asked whether the township was refusing her request; she also raised concerns about emails she received from the secretary and questioned whether an elected supervisor should recuse if a relative sought a roadmaster position.

Secretary Davis told the board she had provided DeGangi with the Dec. 8 meeting recording on a thumb drive and had begun copying the requested correspondence; Davis said she took a 30-day extension to complete mailing the remaining records. On the Jan. 3 reorganizational meeting recording, Davis said staff had relied on handwritten notes for that meeting and had not prepared an audio file for distribution immediately.

The board and attendees debated whether people attending a public meeting must announce they are recording. DeGangi and several residents cited PSATS and an Office of Open Records advisory that attendees may record public meetings; some supervisors suggested adding a standard pre-meeting announcement to the township's recording policy to avoid confusion.

DeGangi said she would submit follow-up questions in writing. Secretary Davis said she would respond through the RTK process and the board's solicitor indicated he would review any legal questions that supervisors raise.

The board took no additional, immediate policy action during the meeting beyond the on-the-record discussion and the record copying described by the secretary.