Carbon, Monroe and Schuylkill counties, and Lansford and Coaldale boroughs, offered a mixed bag of responses when Times News writers requested all severance agreements and any other documents that memorialize discharge or demotion of any employee during 2015.

All requests were made in early May.Lansford’s secretary-treasurer had just left for another job at the time of the request.At a meeting on May 3, the receptionist told reporter Chris Reber there were no employees let go in 2015. She responded in writing the next day, within five days of the original request.Coaldale fully denied Reber’s request, with the secretary stating that “personnel files are not privy to the Right To Know law” and that meeting minutes would be all that is available.The request was denied on May 5 because it was “too vague.”Reber also made a request to Schuylkill County Commissioners, who partially granted it after asking for a 30-day extension, which is allowed by law.The county asked for the extension within one day of getting the request.After a follow-up phone call on June 1, the county clerk sent an email stating Reber could access meeting minutes to see when employees were discharged. Outside of that, the request was denied.Monroe County Commissioners fully complied with the request within five days of submittal.Carbon County Commissioners denied reporter Amy Miller’s request, stating the information did not exist.Government entities are not required to generate previously nonexisting information based on a Right To Know request.Correspondence from Carbon open records officer Marianne Butrie states that it “does not mean the records do not exist under another name, spelling or under another classification.”