Sunshine doesn’t get into secret Northampton Sewage Board meetings because they take advantage of the big exceptions to the Sunshine Act. No video. No minutes. No record. No kidding.

The Sunshine Act Secret Meeting Loophole is: Title 65 Pa. § 707. “Exceptions to open meetings”

(a) Executive session.  An agency may hold an executive session under section 708 (relating to executive sessions).

(b) Conference.  An agency is authorized to participate in a conference which need not be open to the public. Deliberation of agency business may not occur at a conference.

(c) Certain working sessions.  Boards of auditors may conduct working sessions not open to the public for the purpose of examining, analyzing, discussing and deliberating the various accounts and records with respect to which such boards are responsible, so long as official action of a board with respect to such records and accounts is taken at a meeting open to the public and subject to the provisions of this chapter.

CONFERENCE EXCEPTION

Any “discussion” can be claimed to fit the Conference exception. All they have to do is not vote during the secret meeting. That’s how the Northampton Seweage Board weaseled out of the Sunshine Law’s Prohibition against secret meetings and had their secret solar panel meeting with fellow Republican Insiders. 

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