Delaware County v. Campbell

23 Pa. D. & C.5th 300
CourtPennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Delaware County
DecidedApril 12, 2011
DocketNo. 11-2549
StatusPublished

This text of 23 Pa. D. & C.5th 300 (Delaware County v. Campbell) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Delaware County primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Delaware County v. Campbell, 23 Pa. D. & C.5th 300 (Pa. Super. Ct. 2011).

Opinion

KENNEY, «/.,

-And now, upon consideration of appellant, Delaware County’s appeal from the final decision of the Pennsylvania Office of Open Records, No. 2011-0127, the following findings of fact and conclusions of law are hereby entered pursuant to [302]*30265 P.S. § 67.1302(a);

FINDINGS OF FACT

1. Appellee, Simon Campbell, submitted a request on standard form (“request”), pursuant to the Right-to-Know Law, seeking the following:

An excel spreadsheet of the most recently updated property tax assessment records...in the possession of Delaware County with redactions of home addresses for the following individuals: (a) All public school employees of all public school employers; and (b) All retired public school employees of all public school employers.

See, “petition Requesting Judicial Review of Final Determination of the Pennsylvania Office of Open Records” at “Exhibit 2.”

2. The request sought redactions of names and addresses of the current and retired public school employees pursuant to our Supreme Court’s November 1, 2010 order in The Pennsylvania State Education Association, et al. v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, et al. staying the release of such information. See, id.; See Also, The Pennsylvania State Education Association, et al. v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, et al., No. 195 MM 2010 (Pa. Nov. 1, 2010) (order staying, the Sept. 24, 2010 order of the Commonwealth Court).

3. Delaware County responded to the request on February 7, 2011 (“Denial”), stating the following:

We have reviewed your request and determined we [303]*303do not have the information requested. The county of Delaware has no way of knowing who is a public school employee and who is a retired public school employee from our tax assessment rolls. [Right-to-Know Law] section 705 states when responding to a request for access, an agency shall not be required to create a record which does not currently exist or to compile, maintain, format or organize a record in a manner in which the agency does not currently compile, maintain, format or organize the record. [Right-to-Know Law], 65 P.S. § 67.705.

See, “petition requesting judicial review of final determination of the Pennsylvania Office of open records” at “Exhibit 3.”

4. The Pennsylvania Office of Open Records, on appeal, required the following of the parties in submitting information in support of their respective positions: “all facts and statements of fact ...must be supported by an affidavit made under penalty of perjury by a person with actual knowledge.” See, Campbell v. Delaware County, O.O.R. Dkt. No. AP 2011-0127, Final Determination at 2 (Pa.O.O.R. Mar. 2, 2011) (emphasis original).

5. The factual background contained within the final determination of the Office of Open Records in the matter of Campbell v. Delaware County, O.O.R. Dkt. No. AP 2011-0127 (Pa.O.O.R. Mar. 2, 2011) (a copy is attached hereto) is hereby incorporated into this court’s Findings of Fact.

CONCLUSIONS OF LAW

1. The record on appeal is complete for a [304]*304determination to be made on the instant appeal. See, 65 P.S. § 67.1303(b).

2. Pennsylvania’s Right-to-Know Law (“RTKL”) does not vest the office of open records with the authority to require a sworn affidavit from parties in a RTKL appeal in lieu of holding a hearing. See, 65 P.S. § 67.101, et seq.

3. The RTKL does, however, provide the Office of Open Records the discretionary power to conduct a hearing, in a RTKL appeal, and receive evidence and testimony from the parties. See, 65 P.S. § 67.1102(a)(2).

4. The “Legal Analysis” contained within the final determination contains no legal analysis.

5. Open records officers of Commonwealth and local agencies are presumed to act in good faith, and apply their good common sense and human experiences, in reviewing requests made pursuant to the RTKL. See, 65 P.S. § 67.901; See Also, Delaware County v. Schaefer, No. 10-15157, slip op. at 11 (Pa.Com.Pl. Apr. 8, 2010).

6. Pursuant to the RTKL, Delaware County’s response that it has no way of determining who are current and retired public school employees is a good faith response. See, 65 P.S. § 67.901.

7. Delaware County cannot be required to disclose records it does not have, or compile lists that it does not already maintain. See, 65 P.S. § 67.705.

8. Delaware County cannot provide access to the property tax records requested with the names and addresses of current and retired public school employees [305]*305redacted, as this information is not able to be redacted. See, 65 P.S. § 67.706.

9. The denial, on its face, is just and proper under the RTKL. The Office of Open Records did not need more information to review this request and denial, whether under affidavit or not, and the Office of Open Records should have summarily upheld the denial of the Delaware County open records officer.

10. To require Delaware County to contact each and every property owner within the county for a determination as to who is a current or retired public school employee is not only an absurd requirement contrary to the RTKL, it is also an entire misappropriation of taxpayer funds.

11. The Office of Open Records continued failure to apply any common sense in its final determinations is costing this court its judicial resources and time, and moreover, costing Commonwealth and local agencies, such as the County of Delaware, excessive taxpayer funds in having to litigate untenable final determinations of the Office of Open Records, such as the one provided herein for review.

Based upon the foregoing, the following order is hereby entered:

ORDER

And now, April 12, 2011, upon consideration of the appeal of Delaware County of the final determination of the Pennsylvania Office of Open Records, in the matter of Simon Campbell v. Delaware County, No. 2011-0127 (Mar. 2, 2011), it is ordered and decreed as follows:

[306]*3061. The appeal of Delaware County is hereby granted; and

2. The final determination of the Pennsylvania Office of Open Records, in the matter of Simon Campbell v. Delaware County, No. 2011-0127, dated March 2, 2011, is hereby summaily reversed.

PENNSYLVANIA OFFICE OF OPEN RECORDS FINAL DETERMINATION

INTRODUCTION

Simon Campbell (the “requester”) filed a Right-to-Know request with Delaware County (“county”) pursuant to the Right-to-Know Law 65 P.S. §§67.101 et seq., (“RTKL”), seeking an excel spreadsheet of property tax assessment records. The county denied the request, stating records do not exist and that it is not required to compile, maintain, format or organize records in a manner in which it does not currently do so. The requester timely appealed to the Office of Open Records (“OOR”). For the reasons set forth in this final determination, the appeal is granted in part and denied in part and the county is required to take further action.

FACTUAL BACKGROUND

On January 31,2011, the requester submitted a request for the following:

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Related

Commonwealth v. Brown
786 A.2d 961 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 2001)
Bowling v. Office of Open Records
990 A.2d 813 (Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, 2010)

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Bluebook (online)
23 Pa. D. & C.5th 300, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/delaware-county-v-campbell-pactcompldelawa-2011.