A rural Pa. township has spent 1000s of dollars to hide a proposed law from local residents

[RandySF]

A group of Berks County residents has spent thousands of dollars trying to get a rural township to disclose a proposed ordinance that could have affected local farms, which experts say residents are entitled to see.

Tulpehocken Township has in turn spent thousands of dollars to keep that information secret, arguing state law protects the release of drafts not presented at public meetings.

One open records expert told Spotlight PA that “it's particularly stunning” to see “public agencies use taxpayer resources to thwart public access.”

“And in this case, it's particularly egregious because we're not protecting a trade secret or some confidential, proprietary information,” said Melissa Melewsky, media law counsel for the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association, of which Spotlight PA is a member. “This is quite literally a proposal that will govern the lives of the taxpayers and residents in that community.”


https://www.spotlightpa.org/news/2026/01/pennsylvania-township-secret-farm-ordinance-lawsuit-rural-issues/

[no_hypocrisy]

1. The ordinance is still so "secret" that it isn't described in the article.

Was it re-zoning farmland to make mini-cities, Reading, Jr.?

[MaineBlueBear]

2. I had never seen a full KKK uniform before visiting Berks

Late 90's/early 00's I'm passing through Boyertown and saw a fully uniformed clansman at one of the few intersections that had a light in that tiny town.

I start laying on the horn and he's waving at me thinking I'm a fan. As I drive by I've got my middle finger raised high and yelling, "Fuck you!" His wave turned into an awkward gesture.

Good times... But I never expect good news to come from Berks county, PA