[Amended 1-18-2016 by Ord. No. 555; 11-16-2020 by Ord. No. 596]
The regular meeting of the Board of Commissioners shall
be held monthly at such time and place as is established by the President
of the Board of Commissioners. Generally, regular Board of Commissioners
meetings shall be held on the third Monday of each month at 6:00 p.m.
in the Commissioners Board Room in the Township Building. However,
the President of the Board of Commissioners may establish other dates
or locations for regular meetings of the Board of Commissioners by
proclamation and without amendment hereto.
[Amended 1-18-2016 by Ord. No. 555]
The organizational meeting of the Township Commissioners
of the Township of Muhlenberg shall be held on the first Monday of
January of each even-numbered year at 7:00 p.m. in the Commissioners
Chambers in the Muhlenberg Township Building, 210 George Street, Township
of Muhlenberg, Berks County, Pennsylvania; if said first Monday is
a legal holiday, the meeting shall be held the first day following
at the above time and place.
A.
Special meetings
of the Commissioners of the Township of Muhlenberg may be called upon
the written request of two Commissioners to the President of the Board
of Commissioners. Twenty-four hours' previous notice in writing of
such meeting must be given to all Commissioners by the Township Secretary
or the President of the Board of Commissioners, who shall insert in
said notices the business to be considered; no business other than
that for which the meeting is called shall be considered except by
majority vote of the members present.
B.
Special meetings
may be called by the President of the Board of Commissioners upon
24 hours' previous written notice by the Township Secretary or the
President of the Board of Commissioners to all of the members of the
Township Commission, and said notice shall contain therein the business
to be considered and conducted at said special meeting; no business
other than that which is stated in the notice shall be considered
except by majority vote of the members present.
C.
All special meetings, whether called as permitted under Subsection A or Subsection B hereof, shall be held at 7:00 p.m., prevailing time, in the Commissioners' Chambers in the Muhlenberg Township Building, 210 George Street, Township of Muhlenberg, Berks County, Pennsylvania, on the date set forth in said notice of the special meeting, unless otherwise specified in the notice that is required to be sent.
[Amended 1-18-2016 by Ord. No. 555]
Public notice of all meetings of the Board of Commissioners
of the Township of Muhlenberg shall occur as provided for under the
Pennsylvania Sunshine Act: Open Meetings Law, 65 Pa.C.S.A. §§ 701
to 706.
A.
There shall be placed on the agenda
for each public meeting one or more times for residents and taxpayers
of the Township to comment on matters of concern, official actions
or deliberations which are or may be before the Board of Commissioners.
Such time or times on the agenda shall be titled "Public Portion."
The following guidelines are established for this portion of the public
meeting:
(1)
Residents and taxpayers shall
comment only after being recognized by the Commissioner conducting
the meeting.
(2)
Residents and taxpayers of
the Township shall announce their name and address prior to addressing
the Board of Commissioners.
(3)
The Commissioner conducting
the meeting may rule out of order scandalous, impertinent and redundant
comments or comments that the discernible purpose or effect of which
is to disrupt the proceedings of the meeting.
(4)
The Commissioner conducting
the meeting may request any individual to leave the meeting when that
person does not observe reasonable decorum. Further, the Commissioner
conducting the meeting may request the assistance of law enforcement
officers to remove a disorderly person when his or her conduct interferes
with the orderly progress of the meeting.
(5)
The Commissioner conducting
the meeting may call a recess or adjournment to another time when
the lack of public decorum interferes with the orderly conduct of
the meeting.
B.
Time allocated for public comment
at each meeting shall not exceed 30 minutes. Each speaker shall be
allotted three minutes to five minutes to present his or her topic.
C.
At the discretion of the Commissioner
conducting the meeting, a group of residents and taxpayers registered
to address the Board on the same issue may be required to designate
a spokesperson.
D.
At the discretion of the Commissioner
conducting the meeting, residents and taxpayers of the Township may
comment on issues being discussed during the meeting other than during
a designated "public comment" period.
E.
In the event that there is not
sufficient time for all public comments, the Board of Commissioners,
at its discretion, may continue the public comment to its next regular
meeting or to a special meeting occurring in advance of the next regular
meeting.
A.
Residents and taxpayers may use
audio or stenographic recorders to record all or any portion of the
meeting. Said recorders shall be operated from the area set aside
for general public seating and may not be placed on the Board of Commissioners'
table without prior consent of the Commissioner conducting the meeting.
B.
Video recorders may be used to
record all or any portion of a public meeting. The operator of the
recorder shall remain seated in the area set aside for the general
public or stand in the rear of the room behind the general public
seating area so as to not interfere in any way with the activities
of the Board of Commissioners or the ability of the general public
to observe the Board.
C.
Any resident or taxpayer proposing
to operate recording equipment at the public meeting shall make a
general announcement, prior to the operation of recording equipment,
that the meeting shall be so recorded.
