Official Township Social Media Pages Creation and Administration
Dear Mount Laurel Township,
Please accept this electronic request for public records made under OPRA and the common law right of access. I am not required to fill out an official form or use a particular software platform to submit my request per NJSA 47:1A-6(f), which states that an email from a requestor including all of the information required on the adopted form shall suffice in place of a completed form as a valid government record request.
I HAVE NOT been convicted of any indictable offense under the laws of New Jersey, any other state, or the United States.
I WILL NOT use the requested government records for a commercial purpose.
I AM NOT seeking records in connection with a legal proceeding.
Records requested:
Copies of all public records concerning the creation, setup, authorization, and ongoing administration of official social media pages associated with:
Mount Laurel Township (including, but not limited to, the Township’s Facebook page), and
Mount Laurel Municipal Utilities Authority (MUA) (including, but not limited to, the MUA’s X/Twitter page),
and any other Township departments, boards, commissions, authorities, or affiliated entities that operate official social media accounts.
This request expressly includes records documenting the creation dates of those accounts (for example, records showing the Township Facebook page creation date and the MUA X/Twitter page creation date, which appear to have originated in 2017), and extends to related records thereafter. Specifically provide:
1. All records that show the exact creation dates and initial account details (usernames/handles, profile URLs, account ID numbers, platform confirmation emails/screenshots) for each official social media account.
2. All internal and external correspondence (emails, text messages, memos, meeting minutes, Slack/Teams messages, calendar entries) discussing the establishment, approval, ownership, administration, or moderation of those accounts.
3. Copies of any policies, resolutions, ordinances, or internal directives authorizing or governing the Township’s or MUA’s use of social media.
4. All contracts, statements of work, invoices, purchase orders, or agreements with vendors, consultants, or third parties related to the creation, management, moderation, or analytics of social media accounts.
5. Records identifying the individual(s) — by name, title, and department — who created, were assigned administrative privileges for, or were responsible for managing the accounts at the time of creation and through the present.
6. Any account administration logs or role/permission lists showing who had (or has) administrative, editor, or moderator access, including changes to those permissions.
7. Any audits, internal reviews, or complaints relating to social media content, account access, deletion or suppression of posts, or changes to account ownership.
8. Index or privilege log identifying any records withheld or redacted, with the specific legal basis for each redaction or withholding.
My preferred delivery method for response(s) to this request is by E-mail as attachments. Please confirm you have received this request. If you are not the custodian of records, please forward my request to that person and provide their email address to me for future reference.
Yours faithfully,
Red Tape Reality
Dear Requestor:
The Township received your October 8, 2025 email labeled as an OPRA Request – Official Township Social Media Pages Creation and Administration and provides this timely response.
Records requested:
Copies of all public records concerning the creation, setup, authorization, and ongoing administration of official social media pages associated with:
Mount Laurel Township (including, but not limited to, the Township’s Facebook page), and
Mount Laurel Municipal Utilities Authority (MUA) (including, but not limited to, the MUA’s X/Twitter page),
and any other Township departments, boards, commissions, authorities, or affiliated entities that operate official social media accounts.
RESPONSE – the Township’s records are limited to Mount Laurel Township. The MUA is a separate entity. You have not identified other boards, commissions, authorities or affiliated entities however, the Township only controls the Township’s Facebook page.
This request expressly includes records documenting the creation dates of those accounts (for example, records showing the Township Facebook page creation date and the MUA X/Twitter page creation date, which appear to have originated in 2017), and extends to related records thereafter. Specifically provide:
1. All records that show the exact creation dates and initial account details (usernames/handles, profile URLs, account ID numbers, platform confirmation emails/screenshots) for each official social media account.
Response – the Township does not maintain the records requested regarding creation dates. The remainder is denied under N.J.S.A. 47:1A-1.1 (security measures).
2. All internal and external correspondence (emails, text messages, memos, meeting minutes, Slack/Teams messages, calendar entries) discussing the establishment, approval, ownership, administration, or moderation of those accounts.
RESPONSE – request denied for failure to follow the protocols of the 2024 Amendments to OPRA regarding correspondence including identifying the name of the sender, recipient, date range and subject area.
3. Copies of any policies, resolutions, ordinances, or internal directives authorizing or governing the Township’s or MUA’s use of social media.
RESPONSE – the Township’s social media policy is attached.
4. All contracts, statements of work, invoices, purchase orders, or agreements with vendors, consultants, or third parties related to the creation, management, moderation, or analytics of social media accounts.
RESPONSE – request denied as overbroad. OPRA does not "authorize a party to make a blanket request for every document" a public agency has on file. Gannett New Jersey Partners L.P. v. County of Middlesex, 379 N.J. Super. 205, 213 (App. Div. 2005). Rather, a party requesting access to a public record under OPRA must specifically describe the document sought. OPRA operates to make identifiable government records "readily accessible for inspection, copying, or examination." N.J.S.A. 47:1A-1. As such, a proper request under OPRA must identify with reasonable clarity those documents that are desired, and a party cannot satisfy this requirement by simply requesting all of an agency's documents. OPRA does not authorize unbridled searches of an agency's property.
5. Records identifying the individual(s) — by name, title, and department — who created, were assigned administrative privileges for, or were responsible for managing the accounts at the time of creation and through the present.
RESPONSE – Request denied. Township does not maintain the record requested. Noting the denial, the Township’s Communication Director manages the Township’s Facebook account.
6. Any account administration logs or role/permission lists showing who had (or has) administrative, editor, or moderator access, including changes to those permissions.
RESPONSE – Request denied. No such document exists.
7. Any audits, internal reviews, or complaints relating to social media content, account access, deletion or suppression of posts, or changes to account ownership.
RESPONSE - Request denied. No such document exists.
8. Index or privilege log identifying any records withheld or redacted, with the specific legal basis for each redaction or withholding.
RESPONSE - denied. No responsive records withheld.
Thank you,
Meredith Riculfy, RMC/CMFO/CMR/QPA
Township Manager/Clerk
750 Centerton Road
Mount Laurel NJ 08054
856.234.0001 ext 1233
856.234.8240 fax