Sep 10, 2022 2 min read

Donora council’s meeting scheduled for Thursday was postponed upon realization that it was not properly advertised.

Solicitor Steve Toprani said since the agenda for the meeting was not available on the borough’s website, holding the meeting could be in violation of the Sunshine Act.

Toprani said a 2021 amendment to the Sunshine Act calls for any borough that has a website to post an agenda at least 24 hours before a meeting is held.

“It was posted on the doors, which is the first requirement,” Toprani said. “But the second requirement is the website, that wasn’t included. There were some motions that council would have voted upon that would involve potentially expending funds. I felt it was prudent not to convene a meeting and draw a Sunshine objection.”

The motion to postpone the meeting to a date yet to be determined was approved by the six council members in attendance. Councilwoman P. Jane Ackerman was absent.

Councilman Thomas Thompson did say that although he voted yes, “I want it on the record that it wasn’t advertised in July and August either.”

Pennsylvania’s Sunshine Act requires agencies to deliberate and take official action on agency business in an open and public meeting. It requires that meetings have prior notice, and that the public can attend, participate, and comment before an agency takes official action.