From the PNA Legal Hotline

By Melissa Melewsky, Media Law Counsel
Pennsylvania Newspaper Association

Q: A township advertised a special meeting, but a quorum of supervisors failed to show up at the designated time and place. The supervisors in attendance announced a reconvened meeting date, time and place and posted notice on the township office the next day. Does the Sunshine Act also require the township to place a public notice in the newspaper stating the date, time and place of the reconvened meeting?

A: No. The Sunshine Act does not require a public notice ad in this situation.

The Sunshine Act requires agencies to provide at least 24 hours advance notice in a newspaper of general circulation of the date, time and place of special meetings.

However, when an agency has recessed or reconvened a public meeting that has already been properly advertised, the law only requires an agency to post a notice of the place, date and time of the meeting prominently at the principal office of the agency or at the public building in which the meeting is to be held.