There shall be a Borough Council of seven members elected by
the qualified voters of the Borough at large plus a Mayor elected
at large.
A member of Council shall be a citizen of the United States,
and shall be a registered elector of the Borough at the time of his
candidacy and during his term.
A member of Council shall not hold any other compensated Borough
office or be employed by the Borough or act as a paid consultant to
the Borough either during his term of office or until after the expiration
of his term of office if, for any reason, he does not complete said
term.
A.
The
election of members of Council shall be held on the general municipal
election day, as established, from time to time, by the laws of the
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The procedure for nomination and election
of members of Council shall be as established by the general laws
of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for municipal elections.
B.
The
first election of members of Council under this Charter shall be held
on the date of the municipal election in the year 1983. Four members
of Council shall be elected for a term beginning the first Monday
of January 1984. The seven members of Council elected in 1981 under
prior law shall remain in office for the full terms for which they
were originally elected as provided in §§ C-116 and
C-118 of this Charter. Three members of Council plus the Mayor shall
then be elected in the year 1985 for a term beginning the first Monday
of January 1986.
The terms of all members of Council shall be four years, commencing at 8:00 p.m. on the first Monday of January following the year in which they are elected, except that a member of Council appointed to fill a vacancy shall serve only for the balance of the unexpired term. Members of Council shall serve successive staggered terms beginning with those set forth in § C-9.
A.
The office of a member of Council shall become vacant upon his death,
resignation, removal from the Borough, removal from office in any
manner authorized by law or this Charter or forfeiture of his office
or for failure to assume such office after election thereto within
45 days after the commencement of the term thereof. A member of Council
shall forfeit his office if he lacks, at any time during his term
of office, any qualification for the office prescribed by this Charter
or by law or is convicted of a felony or a crime involving moral turpitude
or is absent from at least two consecutive regular meetings of the
Council without reasonable cause.
B.
In the case of forfeiture of office, Council shall declare that office
vacant by a majority vote on a resolution duly made and seconded at
a public meeting. Passage of a resolution of forfeiture shall authorize
the President of Council to dispatch written notice of such resolution
to the member at his Borough residence address. The member may request
a public hearing by advising the President of Council, in writing,
within 10 days after receipt of written notice. A hearing shall be
held at the next regularly scheduled meeting and another vote taken
on the resolution of forfeiture immediately after the hearing at the
same meeting. After the hearing or upon failure of the member to respond
within 20 days from dispatch of written notice, the office shall be
declared vacant.
[Amended 7-23-1991 by Ord. No. 1012]
If a vacancy shall occur in the office of a member of Council
for any reason as set forth in this Charter, the Council shall fill
said vacancy by observing the following procedure:
A.
Notice of the vacancy shall be read aloud at the next regularly scheduled
meeting of the Council following the occasion of the vacancy and,
within 10 days of this meeting, shall be:
B.
Said notice shall contain a schedule of times and places Council
will conduct public interviews of all qualified candidates and shall
include an invitation to any qualified Borough resident who desires
consideration to schedule a public interview with Council by informing
the Borough Secretary or his representative within 10 days of publication
of said notice. The Borough Secretary shall inform the President of
Council or the Acting President of Council of all candidates to be
interviewed.
C.
At a regularly scheduled meeting, held within 60 days after publication
of said notice, Council shall fill the vacancy by appointing from
the candidates interviewed that candidate who receives the majority
of votes of the Council members present and voting. In the event of
a hopeless deadlock, the matter shall be presented to the Court of
Common Pleas within 30 days after this meeting, and the Court shall
fill the vacancy by appointing a qualified resident of the Borough.
D.
Council members who have been appointed to fill vacancies must stand
for reelection at the next general municipal election.
E.
If an incumbent loses reelection in the last general election, he/she
will not be eligible for appointment to a vacant Council position
for four years.
A member of Council, prior to assuming office, shall take and
shall sign an oath of office as shall, from time to time, be prescribed
by the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Such oath may be
taken and signed before any Judge, District Magistrate or notary public
of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and no person shall be permitted
to assume such office until the oath, in written form, is filed with
the Borough.
A.
The Council shall organize at 8:00 p.m. on the first Monday of January
of each even-numbered year. If the first Monday is a legal holiday,
the meeting and organization shall take place the first day following.
B.
At this organizational meeting, the Council shall elect one of its
members Vice President, who shall hold such office at the pleasure
of Council. If either office of President or Vice President is vacated
for any reason at any time, the vacancy shall be filled at the next
monthly meeting. If the Vice President of Council is elected to fill
a vacancy in the office of President of Council, the vacancy created
in the office of Vice President may be filled at the same meeting.
C.
Also, at this organizational meeting, the Council shall set the time
and place of its regular monthly meetings and designate a newspaper
of general circulation within the Borough for the publication of official
notices.
D.
The Council may transact any further business it deems necessary
or appropriate at this organizational meeting.
All councilmanic authority shall be asserted by the councilmanic
body only. No individual member of Council shall have any authority
whatsoever under this Charter, unless such authority is specifically
delegated by the Charter or by the Council acting as a body.
A.
Each member of Council may receive a salary at the rate of $900 per
annum, except the President who may receive $2,100 per annum or such
other sum as the Council shall, from time to time, establish by ordinance.
No ordinance increasing or decreasing salary shall become effective
for at least four years after the effective date of this Charter.
Any ordinance increasing or decreasing salary shall be adopted at
least six months prior to a municipal election and shall not become
effective before the commencement of terms of the members of Council
elected.
B.
Members of Council shall receive no other compensation, direct or indirect, for the performance of their duties; they shall receive no pensions, insurance or other forms of fringe benefits. However, they shall be entitled to their actual expenses incurred in the performance of their duties and shall be entitled to indemnification as provided in § C-69 of Article XII of this Charter.
