The number of Council Members, as well as the Controller, their terms, election, qualifications, and the filling of Council Controller vacancies shall be as provided in the Charter.
A. 
The day, time and place of the organization meeting of the Council shall be as provided in the Charter.
B. 
The first order of business shall be the election of a President and a Vice President of Council and such other officers required by the Charter or as Council may deem appropriate. Until the President of Council is elected, the Municipal Manager shall preside.
C. 
In the absence of the President, the Vice President shall exercise the duties of the President. In the absence of both the President and the Vice President, the first order of business shall be for Council to appoint a President Pro Tempore who shall have all the powers of the President. Until the President Pro Tempore is appointed, the Municipal Manager shall preside.
A. 
Provisions governing regular or stated, adjourned, agenda and special meetings shall be as provided by law and the Charter.
B. 
At its annual organization meeting, or as soon as possible thereafter, Council shall adopt a resolution establishing the dates, times and places for its regular and agenda meetings for that year.
C. 
Council may hold executive sessions as permitted by law. No official action shall be taken by Council on any matter in executive session.
D. 
In the event that a larger-than-normal crowd is anticipated to attend a meeting of Council, said meeting may then be relocated to an alternate site by a majority vote of the Council. The new location, as well as time of this meeting, shall be duly advertised in a local news publication by the Clerk of Council.
E. 
In some instances where a large attendance is anticipated due to provocative issues or contested applications, or where the Council believes it to be appropriate, the Council may conduct a joint hearing with the Planning Commission of the Township so that testimony before both the Council and the Planning Commission will not be duplicated, and so that transcripts of the testimony taken at such meeting need not be made for different sessions.
All meetings of Council shall be open to the public as provided by law.
A. 
After discussion by all Council Members and the Controller at an agenda meeting, the proposed agenda for any regular meeting of Council shall be prepared by the Municipal Manager in consultation with the President.
B. 
The proposed agenda for any regular meeting shall be forwarded to all Council Members at least four days prior to the regular meeting. In addition, the agenda for regular meetings, adjourned regular meetings, and special meetings shall be posted on a bulletin board in the front of the Municipal Building. Supporting materials, including the full text of any ordinances or resolutions to be considered, shall be provided to all Council Members at the same time as the agenda and shall be available to the public in the office of the Municipal Manager.
C. 
A summary description of any ordinance or resolution to be considered shall be published as part of the agenda.
D. 
The published agenda may be amended at the meeting to add or change an item by a majority vote of the Council Members present.
A. 
At the time appointed for any meeting of Council, the President, or in his absence, the Vice President, or in the absence of both the President and the Vice President, the Municipal Manager, shall take the chair and call the meeting to order. If a quorum is present, as provided in the Charter, the presiding officer shall proceed with the order of business prescribed for the meeting. If, upon the call of the roll, a quorum is not present, the President, Vice President, or the Municipal Manager who is presiding, shall order a recess for a period of 15 minutes, and if a quorum has not developed within that time, the Council Members present shall take action in accordance with the Charter.
B. 
Council President, the Manager, and the Clerk of Council shall coordinate the development of meeting agendas. Such agenda shall include the following items of business, but in no specific order:
(1) 
Call to order;
(2) 
Pledge of allegiance;
(3) 
Roll call;
(4) 
Approval of the minutes of the previous meeting;
(5) 
Citizen agenda matters;
(6) 
Administration;
(7) 
Public safety;
(8) 
Community services;
(9) 
Environmental services;
(10) 
Land use, zoning and planning;
(11) 
Other unfinished business;
(12) 
New business;
(13) 
Adjournment.
C. 
If a delegation of citizens has given due notice, the presiding officer of Council shall invite them to present their business to Council immediately following the approval of the minutes.
D. 
If there is an item of obvious controversy or of wide public concern that has brought a large crowd to the meeting, and the item is not on the agenda. Council may enter that item as a citizen agenda matter on the agenda.
A. 
The presiding officer shall be responsible for the orderly conduct of business at each Council meeting and shall preserve order and decorum at such meetings.
B. 
Council, at its organization meeting, shall adopt such additional rules governing its procedures as it deems appropriate. The presiding officer shall announce all decisions of the Council and shall decide all questions of order without debate, subject, however, to an appeal by any Council member. Any ruling by the presiding officer may be overruled by a majority of the Council members present.
C. 
The Controller and every Council member desiring to speak shall address the chair and, upon recognition by the presiding officer, shall confine remarks to the question under debate, avoiding all indecorous language or reference to personalities. A Council Member Controller, once recognized, shall not be interrupted when speaking unless it is for the purpose of calling such person to order. If a Council member or the Controller, while speaking, is called to order, that member shall cease speaking until the question of order is determined. When two or more Council members request the floor at the same time, the presiding officer shall name the one entitled to the floor. The presiding officer may, when he deems it necessary, place a limit on either the length of time or the number of times, or both, that a member may speak on any matter.
D. 
The roll of members shall be called alphabetically, except that the presiding officer shall be called last.
E. 
No Council member or the Controller shall speak more than 30 minutes upon the same motion in the same meeting, nor for more than 10 minutes at a time, without the consent of the majority of the Council members present.
A. 
Citizens of the Township desiring to address Council and/or the Controller at its regular meeting on a matter not on the agenda for the meeting may do so by providing written notice to the Clerk of Council on the subject matter to be discussed at least one day prior to the day of the meeting, or without such notice if recognized by the presiding officer.
B. 
Citizens of the Township shall be provided the opportunity to address Council and the Controller on any agenda items without written notice. The presiding officer may limit the time each person shall speak, giving equal time to all. Such discussion shall occur prior to the vote on the agenda item.
C. 
Each citizen who wishes to speak shall address the presiding officer and, upon recognition and receiving permission to speak, shall confine his remarks to the agenda item or matter specified in his notice, avoiding all indecorous language or reference to personalities.
D. 
When a group of persons wishes to address Council and/or the Controller on the same subject matter, it shall be proper for the presiding officer to request that a spokesperson be chosen by the group to address Council/Controller and to limit the number of persons addressing Council on the same matter so as to avoid unnecessary repetition.
E. 
Any person making offensive, insulting, threatening, insolent, slanderous or obscene remarks or who becomes boisterous or who makes threats against any person or against public order and security while in the Council chamber, whether or not addressing Council/the Controller, shall be forthwith barred by the presiding officer from further attendance at the meeting unless permission to continue be granted by the majority vote of the Council members present. The presiding officer may appoint a police officer or constable as ex officio Sergeant-at-Arms of Council to carry out instructions given him by the presiding officer for the purpose of maintaining order and decorum in the Council chamber.
Council may, at any time, provide for standing and ad hoc committees to assist with the carrying out of its function. Each committee so designated by Council may elect its officers and provide for written rules governing its procedures. Any such committee appointed by Council shall, thereafter, report to Council at the regular meetings of that body. No actions taken by such a committee shall be deemed final without a majority vote of Council at a regular scheduled public meeting of the Council and Controller.
Official actions of Council shall be taken by ordinance, resolution, or motion, as provided in the Charter or the Administrative Code.
A. 
Action requiring an ordinance. In addition to requirements provided by law or the Charter, acts of Council shall be by ordinance that:
(1) 
Authorize the borrowing of money;
(2) 
Purchase lands or buildings;
(3) 
Adopt procedures for the purchase of products, goods and services, the making of contracts, and the sale or lease of personal or real property;
(4) 
Establish salaries of elected officials.
B. 
Ordinance form and procedure.
(1) 
Any Council member or members desiring to recommend the adoption of a proposed ordinance regarding any matter shall, at a regular meeting of the Council, by motion, direct the Solicitor to prepare an ordinance on such subject; such motion shall, in general, outline the nature of the subject matter, the purpose, and if applicable, penalties regarding the same. It shall then be the duty of the Solicitor to prepare in written form such proposed ordinance, which shall be submitted to the Council on or before the next agenda meeting of the Council. If a proposed ordinance is an amendment to an existing ordinance or repeals an existing ordinance, it shall set out in full, the sections or subsections to be repealed or amended, and shall indicate matter to be omitted by enclosing it in brackets or by strikeout type and shall indicate new matter by underscoring or by italics.
(2) 
Such proposed ordinance shall then be submitted to the members of the Council, in the event that it is not already been done, no less than four days prior to the next regular meeting of the Council for review by the Council members.
(3) 
Any such proposed ordinance shall appear on the agenda of the next regular meeting by heading only, or by summary of the same. At such regular or special meeting, any member of the Council may then move for the adoption of the ordinance, which motion shall require a second, and if so seconded, the President of the Council or the presiding officer shall require discussion of the proposed ordinance.
(4) 
Following such discussion, any member of the Council may move to table the motion for adoption, which shall likewise require a second; in the event that the proposed ordinance shall not be laid on the table, the presiding officer may then call for a roll call vote by the members of the Council. At the time of its introduction, the Council member introducing the ordinance, or anyone who may be designated to do so, shall give a brief description of the ordinance, whereupon it shall be laid upon the table until presented for consideration at a subsequent meeting on the motion of any Council member.
(5) 
At the time of introduction of an ordinance, or shortly thereafter, and in any event more than four days prior to the meeting at which such ordinance will be considered for passage, each Council Member as well as the Controller shall be supplied with a written copy of the ordinance and copies of the same also shall be kept on file in the office of the Municipal Manager.
(6) 
After an ordinance has been introduced, at any subsequent regular or adjourned regular meeting, any Council Member may move the adoption of that ordinance, provided said ordinance is on the agenda of said meeting.
(7) 
Notices of ordinances adopted by Council shall be published once in one or more newspapers of general circulation in the municipality. Such publication shall state where the full text of the ordinance may be examined and copies obtained. If an ordinance imposes or establishes penalties (except for ordinances adopting codes complete in themselves, as referred to in § C-510 of the Charter), the full text of the ordinance shall be published and the publication in the newspaper shall state where copies of the ordinance may be obtained. Ordinances not published within 30 days of their enactment shall be invalid.
(8) 
Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions, any ordinance relating to administrative matters, or which are regarded as ministerial, may be prepared by members of the administrative staff of the Township of Hampton; provided, however, that any such prepared ordinance shall be presented to the Legal Counsel for review of the same.
C. 
Emergency ordinances. To meet a public emergency affecting life, health, property or the public peace, Council may adopt an emergency ordinance in accordance with the following guidelines:
(1) 
Council, by a majority vote, at a regular, special or agenda meeting declares that an emergency exists and identifies the nature of the emergency;
(2) 
Council directs that the Legal Counsel and/or Manager prepare an ordinance addressing the emergency;
(3) 
Council, by majority vote, directs that the given activity creating the emergency be immediately halted, suspended or that such action be taken as necessary to address the emergency; and
(4) 
Council may address an "emergency ordinance" at a regular and/or special meeting of Council if said meeting is properly advertised in accordance with the Pennsylvania Sunshine Law[1] and/or the Charter. For these purposes, and an "emergency ordinance" may be advertised in any newspaper authorized by law to provide legal notices; further, a summary of the ordinance need only be advertised, but a full copy of the ordinance and its text shall be submitted to the newspaper conducting such advertising.
[1]
Editor's Note: See now 65 Pa.C.S.A. § 701 et seq. for the Sunshine Act.
D. 
Authentication and recording; codification.
(1) 
Authentication. Ordinances duly approved shall be attested as provided in the Charter.
(2) 
Recording. The Clerk of Council shall record and index all ordinances and resolutions adopted by Council and, at the end of each year, with the advice of the Legal Counsel, shall compile, bind and index the same or copies thereof in accordance with the provisions of the Charter.
Council shall provide for an independent audit as provided for in the Charter.
Provisions as to salary and expense reimbursement shall be as provided in the Charter. Council members shall be entitled to reimbursement for actual expenses incurred, provided that the expenditures were:
A. 
Related to the performance of official duties; and
B. 
Included in an itemized list presented prior to payment.
A. 
The appointment, supervision, tenure and duties of the Municipal Manager or Clerk of Council shall be as provided in the Charter or this chapter. Under special circumstances, to be determined by resolution, the Council may employ the services of such other staff as it deems appropriate. The Council, by resolution, may assign the duties of Clerk of Council to the Manager.
B. 
A Clerk of Council shall be appointed by majority of the whole number of members of the Council upon proper motion for an indefinite term. The duties of the Clerk shall include but not be limited to the following:
(1) 
The Clerk of Council shall serve as Secretary of the Council, keep its minutes and records of its proceedings, maintain and compile its ordinances and resolutions, and perform such functions as may be required by law or by local ordinance. The Clerk of Council shall, prior to his/her appointment, have been qualified by training or experience to perform the duties of the office. Nothing contained herein shall prevent a municipal employee from serving as Clerk.
(2) 
The Clerk of Council shall have the duty to have published all official notices requiring publication on a timely basis in a newspaper of general circulation in the municipality.
(3) 
The Clerk of Council shall distribute copies of Council agenda and minutes to all Council members, the Controller, and the Legal Counsel on a timely basis and shall make such copies available to the public upon request.
(4) 
The Clerk of Council shall perform such other duties as prescribed by Council.