All powers of the City shall be vested in the City Council, except as otherwise provided by law or this Charter, and the Council shall provide for the exercise thereof and for the performance of all duties and obligations imposed on the City by law.
A. 
Eligibility.
Only those who are and have been for at least one (1) year registered voters of the City shall be eligible to hold the office of Council Member or Mayor. The Mayor and all other Council Members must retain residence in the City during their terms of office. If during a term of office a Council Member moves out of the City, he or she forfeits that position on City Council.
All Council Members elected by District must retain residence in the District from which they are elected during their terms of office. If during a term of office a Council Member elected by District moves from that District, he or she forfeits that District position on City Council.
B. 
Terms of Office.
The term of office of elected officials shall be four (4) years, elected in accordance with Article VI.
C. 
Composition.
The Council shall be composed of seven (7) members: the Mayor and three (3) members elected by the voters of the City at large and one (1) member from each of three (3) Council Districts elected by the voters of those Districts, as provided in Article VI.
The Mayor shall devote full-time efforts to the performance of the duties of the position as established by this Charter. Other Council Members are expected to devote part time to the performance of their duties.
A. 
Powers and Duties. The Mayor shall be a voting member of the City Council and shall:
(1) 
Attend and preside at meetings of the Council;
(2) 
Represent the City in intergovernmental relationships;
(3) 
Appoint, with the advice and consent of the Council, the members of citizen advisory boards and commissions;
(4) 
Publicly present an annual "State of the City and Its Government" message;
(5) 
Appoint the members and officers of Council committees;
(6) 
Assign, subject to the consent of Council, agenda items to committees; and
(7) 
Perform other duties specified by the Council.
B. 
The Mayor shall be recognized as head of the City government for all ceremonial purposes and by the Governor for purposes of military law as stipulated in Article III. The Mayor shall also be the Chief Executive Officer of the City. The Council shall select a Vice Mayor from among its members to perform the presiding officer duties listed above in the absence or disability of the Mayor.
Council shall establish, by ordinance, the compensation of the Mayor, other Council Members, and the Controller, but such ordinances will not take effect until the date of the commencement of the terms of Council Members elected at the next regular municipal election, provided that such election follows the adoption of such ordinance by at least six (6) months. The Mayor shall be entitled only to the compensation set for the office of Mayor for all of the duties performed by the Mayor.
A. 
No Council Member shall hold any other compensated elected or appointive City office or City employment.
B. 
No Council Member shall serve as a compensated elected official in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania or any political subdivision thereof.
C. 
No former Council Member shall hold any compensated appointive City office or City employment until one (1) year after his or her resignation or one (1) year after the expiration of the term for which the member was elected or appointed to the Council.
D. 
Except for the purpose of inquiries to obtain information needed by them in the discharge of their duties, including response to constituent requests and investigations under § C-2.09, the Council or its members shall deal with City officers, directors, and employees who are subject to the direction of the City Administrator through the Mayor or City Administrator.
E. 
Neither the Council nor any of its members shall, in any manner, dictate the appointment or removal of any City administrative officers or employees whom the Mayor or City Administrator are empowered to appoint except as otherwise provided in this Charter.
F. 
No Council Member shall serve as an employee of any municipal authority which is created solely or jointly by the City with one or more political subdivisions until one (1) year after the expiration of the term for which the member was elected or appointed to Council.
G. 
Any Council Member who has a financial interest, direct or indirect, or by reason of ownership of stock, in any corporation in any sale of land with the City or in any contract with the City shall immediately make publicly known their interest and shall refrain from voting upon or otherwise participating in the sale of such land or making of such contract. A statement of such interest shall be filed with the City Clerk. Any Council Member who willfully conceals such interests shall be guilty of malfeasance in office. Violation of this section, with the knowledge expressed or implied of the person or corporation contracting with or making sale to the City, shall render the contract or sale voidable by the City.
A. 
Vacancies.
The office of Mayor or another Council Member shall become vacant upon death of the elected official, resignation, and removal from office in any manner authorized by law or forfeiture of office.
B. 
Forfeiture of Office.
The Mayor and any other member of Council shall forfeit office if the elected official:
(1) 
Lacks at any time during the term of office any qualification for the office prescribed by this Charter or by law;
(2) 
Violates any express prohibition of this Charter; or
(3) 
Is convicted of any crime classified as a misdemeanor of the second class or higher under the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania or the United States or is convicted of any comparable crime under the laws of any other state in the United States.
In all cases of forfeiture, the member shall be entitled to notice and a hearing before Council in accordance with administrative procedures established by § C-2.07 of this Charter.
C. 
Filling of Vacancies.
A vacancy in the office of Mayor or another member of Council shall be filled by a majority vote of the remaining members of Council. If the Council fails to act within thirty (30) days following the occurrence of the vacancy, the Court of Common Pleas of Northampton County shall, upon petition of three (3) members of Council or ten (10) qualified voters of the City, fill the vacancy in such office by the appointment of a qualified resident of the City. In the case of a vacated District seat, the person appointed to fill that seat must be a resident of the District. The individual appointed will remain in the office until the first business day of January following the election for the remainder of the term of the person originally elected to such office or, if such term would otherwise expire on the first Monday following, for a full term.
The City Council shall be the judge of the election and qualifications of its members and of the grounds for forfeiture of their office. In order to exercise these powers, the Council shall have power to subpoena witnesses, administer oaths, and require the production of evidence. A member charged with conduct constituting grounds for forfeiture of office shall be entitled to a public hearing on demand, and notice of such hearing shall be published in one or more newspapers of general circulation in the City at least one (1) week in advance of the hearing.
City Council shall appoint an officer of the City who shall have the title of City Clerk. The City Clerk shall give notice of Council meetings to its members and the public; take minutes of all City Council meetings; keep the minutes of its proceedings; be or become a notary public; serve as Secretary to the Council; and perform such other duties as are assigned by the Administrative Code, the Council or state law.
A. 
Council shall have the power, by ordinance, to make or cause to be made investigations, audits or studies of the City and the conduct of any City department, office, or agency, and for this purpose may retain professional and technical assistance, subpoena witnesses, administer oaths, take testimony, require the production of evidence and provide funds for such investigation, audit or study.
B. 
The subject of such audit, investigation, or study shall be specifically stated in the authorizing ordinance.
C. 
Failure or refusal to obey a lawful order issued in the exercise of these powers by the Council shall be a misdemeanor punishable by a fine and/or imprisonment as determined by an ordinance.
The City Council shall provide for an independent annual audit of all City government accounts and may provide for more frequent audits as it deems necessary. Such audits shall be carried out in accordance with § C-5.11.
A. 
The Council shall determine its own rules and order of business and shall set its own agenda, which will be made public. A quorum for meetings of the Council shall require participation by at least four (4) members.
B. 
The Council shall hold a regular meeting at least twice a month in the evening on a day and place as the Council may prescribe by rules. Council shall hold at least one regular meeting each year outside of Council Chambers in each of the three (3) Districts from which the District Members are elected. Council may, by resolution, cancel a meeting in the event it is deemed not necessary due to a lack of business. Meetings scheduled to be held in the Districts shall not be cancelled but may be rescheduled within the same calendar year.
The Council shall have the right and responsibility to meet at least three (3) times each year with the Mayor, City Administrator, Department Directors, and other key management personnel to review progress towards strategic objectives and offer suggestions and alternative approaches.
C. 
Special meetings may be held at the call of the Mayor or the request of at least four (4) members at such time and place and under such conditions as the Council may prescribe by rule.
D. 
All meetings shall be open to the public, except executive sessions, as authorized by law. The meeting location will be arranged in such a way as to have all members of the Council facing the public.
E. 
All actions of the Council shall require a majority vote of the members of Council, except for an ordinance or action requiring a different majority vote as specified elsewhere in this Charter.
Voting shall be by roll call and the vote of each member shall be entered in the minutes of the meeting. Each roll-call vote shall be taken in rotating order so that each of the members present will have an opportunity to vote in each voting order position from first to last.
F. 
The Council shall provide for keeping of minutes of its proceedings. The minutes shall be a public record and shall be maintained at City Hall and shall be available to the public. Citizens may purchase copies at a reasonable cost to be established by the Council.
G. 
The Council shall provide reasonable opportunity for interested citizens and taxpayers to address the Council on matters of general or special concern. Citizens' right to be heard shall be one of the first order of business items at all public meetings. The public shall be granted the opportunity to comment at Council meetings subject only to reasonable time limitations established by Council for each meeting.
In addition to other acts required by law or by specific provisions of this Charter to be done by ordinance, those acts of the Council shall be by ordinance which:
A. 
Adopt or amend an administrative code or establish, alter, or abolish any City department, office or agency;
B. 
Provide for a fine or other penalty, or establish a rule or regulation for violation of which a fine or other penalty is imposed;
C. 
Levy taxes;
D. 
Grant, renew, or extend a franchise;
E. 
Regulate the rate charged for its services by a public utility;
F. 
Authorize the borrowing or lending of money;
G. 
Convey or lease or authorize the conveyance or lease of any lands of the City;
H. 
Regulate land use and development;
I. 
Amend or repeal any ordinance previously adopted;
J. 
Adopt, with or without amendment, ordinances proposed under the initiative power.
K. 
Acts other than those referred to above may be done either by ordinance or resolution.
A. 
Form.
Every proposed ordinance shall be introduced in writing and in the form required for final adoption. No ordinance shall contain more than one subject, which shall be clearly expressed in the title. The enacting clause shall be "The City of Easton hereby ordains . . ." Any ordinance which repeals or amends an existing ordinance or part of the City Code shall set out in full the ordinance, sections, or subsections to be repealed or amended, and shall indicate matters to be omitted by enclosing in brackets or by strikeout type and shall indicate new matters by underscoring or by italics.
B. 
Procedure.
Any member at any regular or special meeting of the Council may introduce an ordinance. Upon introduction of any ordinance, the City Clerk shall distribute a copy to each Council Member and to the City Administrator; shall file a reasonable number of copies in the office of the City Clerk and such other public places as the Council may designate; and shall publish the ordinance together with a notice setting out the time and place for the public's right to be heard thereon and for its consideration by the Council. The public's right to be heard shall follow the publication by at least seven (7) days; may be held separately or at a regular or special Council meeting; and may be adjourned from time to time. All persons interested shall have an opportunity to be heard. After the hearing, the Council may adopt the ordinance with or without amendment or reject it, but if it is amended as to any matter of substance, the Council may not adopt it until the ordinance or its amended sections have been subjected to all the procedures herein required in the case of a newly introduced ordinance. As soon as practicable after adoption, the Clerk shall have the ordinance published and made available at a reasonable price.
C. 
Effective Date.
Except as otherwise provided in this Charter, every adopted ordinance shall become effective at the expiration of thirty (30) days after adoption or at any later date specified therein.
D. 
"Publish" Defined.
As used in this section, the term "publish" means to print in the contemporary means of information sharing, which may include, but is not limited to, one or more newspapers of general circulation in the City and on the City's website;
(1) 
The ordinance or a brief summary thereof; and
(2) 
The places where copies of it have been filed, and the times they are available for public inspection and purchase at a reasonable price.
To meet a public emergency affecting the life, health, property or the public peace, the Council may adopt one or more emergency ordinances, but such ordinances may not levy taxes, grant, renew, or extend a franchise, regulate the rate charged by any public utility for its services, or authorize the borrowing of money except as provided in Article V. An emergency ordinance shall be introduced in the form and manner prescribed for ordinances generally, except that it shall be plainly designated as an emergency ordinance and shall contain, after the enacting clause, a declaration stating that an emergency exists and describing it in clear and specific terms. An emergency ordinance may be adopted with or without amendment or rejected at the meeting at which it is introduced, but the affirmative vote of at least five (5) members shall be required for adoption. After its adoption the ordinance shall be published and printed as prescribed for other adopted ordinances. It shall become effective upon adoption or at such later time as it may specify. Every emergency ordinance, except one made pursuant to the appropriate provisions of § C-5.07, shall automatically stand repealed as of the sixty-first (61st) day following the date on which it was adopted, but this shall not prevent reenactment of the ordinance in the manner specified in this section if the emergency still exists. An emergency ordinance may also be repealed by adoption of a repealing ordinance in the same manner specified in this section for adoption of emergency ordinances.
The City Council may adopt any standard code of technical regulations (e.g., a Building, Electrical, or Plumbing Code) by reference thereto in an adopting ordinance. The procedure and requirements governing such an adopting ordinance shall be as prescribed for ordinances generally, except that:
(1)
The requirements of § C-2.13 for distribution and filing of copies of the ordinance shall be construed to include copies of the code of technical regulations as well as of the adopting ordinance; and
(2)
A copy of each adopted code of technical regulations as well as of the adopting ordinance shall be authenticated and recorded by the City Clerk pursuant to § C-2.16A.
Copies of any adopted code of technical regulations shall be made available by the City Clerk for distribution or for purchase at a reasonable price.
A. 
Authentication and Recording.
The City Clerk shall authenticate by signing and shall record in full in a properly indexed book kept for the purpose all ordinances and resolutions adopted by the City Council.
B. 
Codification.
Within three (3) years after adoption of this Charter, and at least every ten (10) years thereafter, the City Council shall provide for the preparation of a general codification of all City ordinances and resolutions having the force and effect of law. The general codification shall be adopted by the Council by ordinance and shall be published, together with this Charter and any amendments thereto, pertinent provisions of the Constitution and other laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and such codes of technical regulations and other rules and regulations as the Council may specify. This compilation shall be known and cited officially as the Easton City Code. Copies of the Code shall be furnished to City officers, placed in libraries, public offices, and, if available, in a website for free public reference and made available for purchase by the public at a reasonable price fixed by the Council.
C. 
Printing of Ordinances and Resolutions.
The City Council shall cause each ordinance and resolution having the force and effect of law and each amendment to this Charter to be printed promptly following its adoption, and the printed ordinances, resolutions, and Charter amendments shall be distributed or sold to the public at reasonable prices as fixed by the Council. Following publication, the first Easton City Code and, at all times thereafter, the ordinances, resolutions and Charter amendments shall be printed in substantially the same style as the Code currently in effect and shall be suitable in form for integration therein. The Council shall make such further arrangements as it deems desirable with respect to reproduction and distribution of any current changes in or additions to the provisions of the Constitution and other laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania or the codes of technical regulations and other rules and regulations included in the Code.