Following is a statement read by Council President Heather Zink at the December 5, 2023 Columbia Borough Work Session, addressing the recent Sunshine violation allegations made against Columbia Borough. The backstory is HERE.
"Last week, allegations of Sunshine violations were made specifically related to posting agendas online for the HARB meeting held November 8, and the Planning Commission meeting held November 21. One of the requirements of the Sunshine Act is that agendas for advertised public meetings be posted at the location of the meeting at least 24 hours in advance of the meeting. In both cases that was done.
The act also stipulates that if an agency has a public website, the agenda must also be posted on the public website. In both cases that was not done. As soon as we were informed the agendas were not there, steps were taken to remedy the situation. This was not an intentional act, but rather an oversight.
Everyone involved will be given a refresher on the Sunshine Act and all of its requirements.
As a note, the allegation regarding the Zoning Hearing Board meeting for November was unfounded. While the meeting was advertised, the Act has no requirements for notification of canceled meetings. While not a Sunshine requirement, it is good practice to properly communicate cancellations, and procedures are being put in place to make communication consistent in the future. As stated before, none of these issues were intentional. They were just oversights. Regardless, we're taking steps to refresh the education for all involved and setting processes up to ensure proper and consistent communication. We understand the recent actions have fallen short of the expectations for local government meetings, and we are committed to doing better. Thank you."
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