A.
All powers of the Township, including those powers now in existence
or hereafter conferred on the Township by the Constitution or the
laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, shall be exclusively vested
in and exercised by a Council, subject only to the provisions of this
Charter.
B.
Council shall be the legislative body charged with the responsibility
and duty to:
The Township Council shall consist of five (5) members, of which
four (4) shall be elected from districts and one (1) from the Township
at large.
[Ord. No. 1105, §§ 1, 2, 6-15-1992]
A.
Council members shall serve for four (4) years, commencing at 7:30
p.m. on the first Monday of January following the year in which they
are elected. If the first Monday is a legal holiday, then the said
terms shall commence at 7:30 p.m. on the first day following. The
term of a Council member appointed to fill a vacancy shall commence
upon appointment by Council or the Court under Section 306.D. of this
Charter.
B.
A Council member appointed to fill a vacancy shall hold office, if
the term thereof continues so long, until the first regularly scheduled
meeting of Council following the certification of election of a Council
member elected at the first primary, municipal or general election
occurring more than sixty (60) days after the vacancy occurs, at which
election a person qualified to hold such office in accordance with
Section 305 of this Charter shall be elected for the remainder of
the term. A person so elected shall assume office at the beginning
of the aforesaid Council meeting.
C.
A Council member elected to fill a vacancy shall serve only for the
balance of the unexpired term.
D.
No Council member shall be consecutively elected for more than two
(2) four (4) year terms and the balance of one unexpired term of a
vacated Council seat.
The procedure for the nomination and election of Council members
and the designation of municipal election days shall be as provided
by the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
A Council member shall be a citizen of the United States, a
resident of the district which he represents throughout the term of
office and, at the time of his nomination, shall be a qualified elector
and shall not have been convicted of embezzlement of public monies,
bribery, perjury or other infamous crime. No Council member shall
hold any other elected public office.
A.
The office of a Council member shall become vacant upon death, legal
incompetency, resignation, removal from office in any manner authorized
by law or this Charter, or final Order by a Court of Competent Jurisdiction
that said office has been forfeited.
C.
The following procedure shall be followed to determine whether a
forfeiture has occurred:
1.
Council shall hold a public hearing to decide whether a petition
shall be filed in the Court of Common Pleas of Montgomery County,
Pennsylvania to determine whether the office of a Council member has
been forfeited.
2.
Notice of such public hearing with the purpose, date, time and place
specified shall be advertised once in at least one newspaper of general
circulation within the Township not less than ten (10) days prior
to the hearing. Council shall cause such notice to be sent by certified
mail to the named Council member not less than ten (10) days prior
to the hearing.
3.
Within five (5) days following the public hearing, Council shall
determine, by resolution, whether the said petition shall be filed.
D.
If a vacancy shall occur in the office of a Council member for any
reason set forth in this Charter, the remaining members of Council
shall, by simple majority vote, not less than thirty (30) days nor
more than forty-five (45) days following the vacancy, appoint a person
qualified to hold such office in accordance with Sections 303 and
305 of this Charter. If Council shall refuse, fail or neglect or be
unable, for any reason whatsoever to fill a vacancy within forty-five
(45) days after the vacancy occurs, then the Court of Common Pleas
of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania shall, upon Petition of the Council,
of any individual Council member or of any twenty-five (25) qualified
electors of the Township, fill the vacancy in such office by the appointment
of a qualified elector of the Township in accordance with Sections
303 and 305 of this Charter.
[Ord. No. 1105, § 3, 6-15-1992]
A.
Each Council member shall receive a salary, established by resolution,
equal to the compensation provided for a Township Commissioner in
Townships of the First Class. The initial salary of a Council member
shall be the salary in effect on the day before the date this amendment
to the Home Rule Charter becomes effective. Thereafter, any change
in salary shall apply to all Council members and shall not become
effective until the date of commencement of the terms of Council members
elected at the next municipal election occurring at least one (1)
year after the effective date of this amendment to the Home Rule Charter
or effective date of any subsequent amendment to the compensation
provisions under the First Class Township Code.
B.
Council members shall not receive from the Township other compensation,
direct or indirect, except for actual out-of-pocket expenses incurred
in the performance of their duties as authorized by resolution.
A.
The Township Council shall organize at 7:30 p.m. on the first Monday
of January of each year by electing one of their number as Chairman
and one of their number as Vice-Chairman. If the first Monday is a
legal holiday, the meeting shall be held the first day following.
B.
The Chairman, or in the Chairman's absence, the Vice-Chairman, shall
preside at Council meetings, shall serve as the Township's Ceremonial
Officer and shall be empowered to sign such legal documents as may
be prescribed by this Charter.
A.
Council shall meet regularly in public at least once in every month
at the office of the Township or such other location as prescribed
by resolution at such time as Council may prescribe by ordinance or
resolution. Special meetings may be held on the call of the Chairman
or of a majority of Council members with at least twenty-four (24)
hours notice to members of Council except for emergency actions authorized
by Section 505 of this Charter.
B.
Council shall conduct no business except in the presence of a quorum
which shall be constituted by a majority of the members of Council.
C.
Council shall, by ordinance, adopt rules of procedure for its meetings
which shall be designed so as to assure full and equal participation
in the deliberations of Council by all its members.
D.
All public meetings of Council must include, as part of the agenda,
an element of the meeting dedicated for interested citizens to address
Council on matters of general or specific concern.
E.
Official actions by Council shall be taken only at a public meeting
by the adoption of an ordinance, of a resolution or by motion. Voting,
except on procedural motions, shall be by roll call vote only and
a simple majority of the Council members present and entitled to vote
shall be required to make such vote binding upon Council.
F.
Council shall act in all matters as a body and it is contrary to
this Charter for any member of Council by virtue of his office to
circumvent established policies, procedures, administrative duties
or functions of Township employees.
Council shall make, protect and preserve written minutes and
records of its proceedings and voting which shall be entrusted to
the care of the Township Manager. Electronic recordings of public
Council meetings shall be made and preserved for a period of two (2)
years. These records shall be kept at the office of the Township and
be open for public inspection during reasonable hours.
[Ord. No. 1105, § 4, 6-15-1992]
A.
Council shall make a full and complete disclosure to Township residents
of its actions as well as Township administrative operations and activities
both actual and planned. As a minimum, Council shall:
1.
Monthly at the regularly scheduled monthly public meeting receive,
and have available for public distribution written reports from the
Township Manager, Chairman of the various Boards, Commissions and
Authorities, or other appropriate persons.
2.
Annually, at a time designated by resolution by Council, prepare
and distribute to every household and place of business within the
Township a written report on the results of its stewardship during
the prior fiscal year with particular regard to realized achievements
compared to previously established objectives.
B.
A copy of all official reports required by law to be filed with other
governmental agencies shall be kept at the office of the Township
and be open for public inspection during reasonable hours.
A.
The Township Council Districts shall be formed of compact, contiguous
territory with boundary lines following the center line of streets
or natural or manmade barriers or dividing lines which shall contain
as nearly as possible the same number of residents as determined by
official census with no more than a ten (10) per cent variance from
the mean in any such district.
B.
Council may, by ordinance, request that a special census count be
made by the U.S. Census Bureau.
C.
Within sixty (60) days of the receipt of the certified results of
the Federal Dicennial Census or special census, Council shall appoint
a Commission which is advisory in nature and which shall:
1.
Be composed of twelve (12) members, comprised of three (3) Township
Electors from each of the four (4) Township Council Districts, no
more than two (2) of whom shall be from the same political party in
each district. None of these members shall be employed by the Township
in any capacity or shall receive compensation for service on this
Commission.
2.
Review such census information for compliance with applicable law
and this Charter and prepare an appropriate recommendation within
sixty (60) days of appointment, provided that if any adjustment of
boundary lines is deemed necessary:
a.
A public hearing shall be held by the Commission for the purpose
of reviewing the map and descriptions of the districts recommended;
b.
The recommendation shall be drafted as a report which together with
a map of the districts shall be introduced in Council at a public
meeting by the Chairman of the Commission which proposal shall thereafter
be considered by Council.
D.
Council shall defer any action on Township Council district boundaries
for sixty (60) days after appointment of the Commission but Council
shall take official action within thirty (30) days following the expiration
of such period of time.
