(Matt Drzik/Beaver County Radio)
What initially began as a simple request for paperwork bloomed into a terse discussion between the County Commissioners, Treasurer Sandie Egley, and Controller Maria Longo at the October 7 work session.
Egley asked towards the end of the meeting why she was not allowed access to the resolutions for the October 8 Public Meeting, and Commissioner Chairman Dan Camp responded by saying it was an issue of security.
“At this time we are not giving them out, because when we were giving them out prior to the meeting, there was a leak of one of the resolutions that was eventually going to be pulled, but they had no knowledge of that, and it became a news story,” Camp said.
“I certainly don’t appreciate getting a phone call about a resolution I haven’t seen yet, and that happened a couple months ago,” Commissioner Jack Manning said. “So I’m all in favor of ensuring that nothing goes public until I have a chance to see those resolutions.”
But Egley wasn’t buying the explanation of security, claiming that “the resolutions come from downstairs, so that leak is happening somewhere in that table.” Manning and Camp denied that the leak came from the Board of Commissioners.
Egley then asked who else would have access to the resolutions prior to a public meeting, and Camp noted that the Controller’s office had access to them, “not saying that there was a leak from her office.” Controller Longo, though, took offense to Camp’s answer, saying “I got that same call you did before I saw them.”
Assistant Solicitor Nathan Morgan spoke about the issue, adding “really, it’s a matter of putting out accurate information. When a list of resolutions is being put out to you guys, ultimately…it’s not being voted on, because it’s misinformation. So the way to provide more accurate information is to wait until after the work session, when we know the complete and accurate list of resolutions to be voted on is.”
The full audio of the conversation surrounding the release of public meeting resolutions, courtesy of the Beaver County Courthouse, can be heard in full below.