At the Bath Borough Council Sept. 5 meeting, borough Manager Brad Flynn reported the 2024 general fund budget is being developed.

He and council are laboring to have a no-tax hike 2024 budget; however, there are pressures on the budget that point toward a tax hike. Flynn noted there will be an additional line in the budget addressing Right to Know requests and administration lines.

Flynn lamented the amount of time and costs of answering an increased number of Right to Know requests. Flynn said, during the past year, Right to Know requests in Bath have cost in excess of $60,000 in legal fees. This does not include the time spent by administrative staff time.

At a recent meeting, Mayor Fiorella Reginelli-Mirabito questioned why people choose to make official Right to Know requests when they simply can ask the borough manager and council for an answer. If the Right to Know requests are investigated by the borough solicitor, it can result in unnecessary costs of significant tax dollars, according to Mirabito. She noted she is frustrated by this expense.

The Pennsylvania Right to Know Act presumes all records are public records unless disclosure is barred by state or federal law or regulation, a judicial order, a legal privilege such as attorney/client or doctor/patient privilege. The Right to Know law was passed in Pennsylvania to promote democracy by allowing citizens access to public officials’ activities that might not have been fully vetted in public.

Flynn noted everyone favors open government, as it is a basis for successful democracy; however, he urges residents to just ask him or council questions rather than engaging in the costly process of answering a Right to Know request.

After the meeting, Flynn said two residents have made 29 Right to Know requests during the past 11 months. He noted the borough usually averages about 26 Right to Know requests a year.

If a resident or an organization misuses the Right to Know law, there are legal remedies. For information, visit openrecords.pa.gov.

Council Vice President Frank Hesch presented a check in the amount of $610 to the Bath-Allen Youth Club from proceeds of the softball tournament held during Bath Borough’s recent Old Home Weekend.

Council moved to advertise ordinance 2023-731 to amend Chapter 651 to say weeds shall not exceed the curb line and eliminate the provision requiring property owners from removing weeds from the gutter between the curb and the street.

The next Bath Borough Council meeting is set for 6 p.m. Nov. 6 at borough hall, 121 S. Walnut St. It is a hybrid meeting, with both in-person and virtual options. Visit bathborough.org to access the virtual meeting call-in numbers.