The City shall have no authority to grant to others, by franchise, contract, or otherwise, its power and right of eminent domain.
A.
Activities prohibited.
(1)
No person shall be appointed to or removed from, or in any way favored or discriminated against with respect to any City position or appointive City administrative office because of race, sex, political or religious opinions or affiliations.
(2)
No person shall willfully make any false statement, certificate, mark, rating or report in regard to any test, certification or appointment under the personnel provisions of this charter or the rules and regulations made thereunder, or in any manner commit or attempt to commit any fraud preventing the impartial execution of such provisions, rules, and regulations.
(3)
No person who seeks appointment or promotion with respect to any City position or appointive City administrative office shall directly or indirectly give, render or pay any money, service or other valuable thing to any person for or in connection with this test, appointment, proposed appointment, promotion or proposed promotion.
(4)
No person shall orally, by letter, or otherwise solicit or assist in soliciting any assessment, subscription or contribution for any political party or political purpose whatever from any person holding any compensated appointive City position.
(5)
No person who holds any compensated appointive City position shall make, solicit or receive any contribution to the campaign funds of any political party or any candidate for public office or take any part in the management, affairs or political party, but he may exercise his rights as a citizen to express his opinions and to cast his vote.
B.
Penalties. Any person who by himself or with others willfully violates any of the provisions of Subsection A(1) through (5) shall be guilty of an offense under this charter and upon conviction thereof shall be subject to a penalty that shall be prescribed by council. Any person convicted under this section shall be ineligible for a period of five years thereafter to hold any City office or position and, if an officer or employee of the City, shall immediately forfeit his office or position.
[Amended 6-27-2016 by Ord. No. O-4-2016[1]]
A.
Proposal of amendment. Amendments to this charter may be framed and proposed:
(1)
In the manner provided by law, or
(2)
As provided, where applicable, by this charter, or
(3)
By the voters of the City, or
(a)
By a Charter Review Commission consisting of nine members who shall be qualified voters of the City. Commencing with the 2026 primary election and continuing every 10 years thereafter, ballots shall contain no less than nine qualified citizens who qualified by petition of no less than 10 signatures. The nine candidates receiving the greatest number of votes will serve on the Charter Review Commission. No members of City Council shall be eligible to serve on the Charter Review Commission. In all respects, the procedure for the nomination and election of Charter Review Commission members shall be pursuant to the general laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for the municipal offices without a primary election which provisions shall take precedent. Recommendations of the Charter Review Commission shall be made to City Council which will review the recommendations and will submit its proposed amendments to the voters of the City at an election, or
(4)
By report of a charter commission created by ordinance. Proposal of an amendment by the voters of the City shall be by petition containing the full text of the proposed amendment and shall be governed by the same procedures and requirements prescribed in Article XVII for initiative petitions until such time as a final determination as to the sufficiency of the petition is made, except that there shall be no limitation as to subject matter and that the petition must be signed by qualified voters of the City equal in number to at least 20% of the total number of qualified electors registered to vote at the last regular City election. The petitioners' committee may withdraw the petition at any time before the 15th day immediately preceding the day scheduled for the City vote on the amendment.
B.
Election. Upon delivery to the City election authorities of the report of a charter commission or a petition finally determined sufficient, proposing an amendment pursuant to Subsection A, the election authorities shall submit the proposed amendment to the voters of the City at an election. Such election shall be announced by a notice containing the complete text of the proposed amendment and published in one or more newspapers of general circulation in the City at least 30 days prior to the date of the election. The election shall be held not less than 60 and not more than 120 days after the report or the final determination of sufficiency of the petition proposing the amendment. If no regular election is to be held within that period, the council shall provide for a special election on the proposed amendment; otherwise, the holding of a special election shall be within the discretion of the council. The form of ballot shall be as specified by the election board.
C.
Adoption of amendment. If a majority of the qualified voters of the City voting upon a proposed charter amendment vote in favor of it, the amendment shall become effective at the time fixed in the amendment or, if no time is therein fixed, 30 days after its adoption by the voters.
[1]
Editor's Note: This ordinance was approved by the electors at an election held 11-8-2016.
If any provision of this charter is held invalid, the other provisions of the charter shall not be affected thereby. If the application of the charter or any of its provisions to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the application of the charter and its provisions to other persons or circumstances shall not be affected thereby.