[Ord. 74-24, 5/29/1974, § 1]
The office of the Township Manager is hereby created by the
Township of Susquehanna.
[Ord. 74-24, 5/29/1974, § 2; as amended by Ord.
15-11, 10/8/2015]
The Board of Township Commissioners shall, by a majority of
its members, appoint the Manager, who shall serve until the first
Monday of January of the even-numbered years succeeding his or her
election and until his or her successor qualifies. The individual
so appointed shall be subject to removal at any time after a thirty-day
notice, in writing, by a majority vote of all the Board of Commissioners.
In the case of a vacancy, the Board of Commissioners shall fill said
position by a majority vote of all its members within 90 days after
said vacancy occurs. In the event the incumbent desires to resign
from the position of Manager, he or she shall submit such notice of
resignation in writing to the Board of Commissioners at least 60 days
prior to the desired termination date.
[Ord. 74-24, 5/29/1974, § 3; as amended by Ord.
15-11, 10/8/2015]
The Township Manager shall be selected solely on the basis of
his or her executive and administrative qualifications, with special
emphasis on his or her actual experience in or his or her knowledge
of accepted management practices. No Commissioner shall be appointed
as Township Manager during the term for which he or she shall have
been elected, nor within one year after the expiration of his or her
term.
[Ord. 74-24, 5/29/1974, § 4; as amended by Ord.
15-11, 10/8/2015]
Before entering upon his or her duties, the Township Manager
shall give a bond to the Township, with a bonding company as surety,
to be approved by the Board of Commissioners, in such sum as it shall
from time to time determine conditioned for the faithful performance
of the Manager's duties, with the premium for the said bond to be
paid for by the Township. The bond of the Township Manager may be
included in, and the Manager may be bonded and covered by, the blanket
bond now in force and effect for all Township employees in the aforesaid
amount.
[Ord. 74-24, 5/29/1974, § 5]
The Township Manager shall receive such compensation as the
Board of Commissioners shall fix from time to time.
[Ord. 74-24, 5/29/1974, § 6; as amended by Ord.
15-11, 10/8/2015]
The Manager shall be the chief administrative officer of the
Township, and he or she shall be responsible to the Board of Commissioners
as a whole for the proper and efficient administration of the affairs
of the Township. His or her powers and duties shall relate to the
general management of all Township business not expressly, by statute
or ordinance, imposed or conferred upon other Township officers. The
Board of Township Commissioners is hereby authorized to delegate to
the Township Manager, subject to recall by written notification at
any time, any of its nonlegislative and nonjudicial powers and duties.
[Ord. 74-24, 5/29/1974, § 7; as amended by Ord.
15-11, 10/8/2015]
Subject to recall by ordinance, the powers and duties of the
Manager shall include the following:
A.
He or she shall supervise and be responsible for the management of
all municipal departments presently existing or which hereafter may
be established unless expressly delegated by statute or ordinance
to other Township officers.
B.
He or she shall issue such administrative and personnel rules and
regulations not in conflict with existing statutes or ordinances to
properly carry out the duties contained in this Part, such rules and
regulations to be subject to revocation by the Board of Commissioners,
by majority vote of all its members at any regular public meeting.
C.
He or she shall prepare and submit to the Board of Commissioners
a recommended budget for the ensuing fiscal year in sufficient time
such that said Board may review, amend, and/or adopt the budget prior
to the close of the current fiscal year, said budget to be accompanied
by an explanatory message setting forth a summary of projected revenues
and proposed expenditures, together with any supporting data as may
be required to enable the Board of Commissioners to decide on and
pass the necessary taxation and appropriation legislation. In preparing
the budget, the Manager, or an officer designated by him or her, shall
obtain from the head of each department, agency, board, or office,
estimates of revenue and expenditures and other supporting data as
he or she requests. The Manager shall review such estimates and may
revise them before submitting the budget to the Board of Commissioners.
D.
He or she shall, upon adoption of the budget by the Board of Commissioners,
be responsible for the efficient administration thereof such that
the various appropriations are not exceeded, except as may be authorized
by the Board by ordinance.
E.
He or she shall be responsible to enforce the laws of the Commonwealth
and all the ordinances, resolutions and bylaws of the Township and
shall establish procedures therefor, to include application forms,
violation notices, etc.
F.
He or she shall attend all meetings of the Township Board of Commissioners
and of its committees, with the right to take part in the discussion,
and he or she shall issue notice of all regular and special meetings
to the Board of Commissioners and to its committees.
G.
He or she shall prepare the agenda for each meeting of the Board
of Commissioners and supply facts pertinent thereto.
H.
He or she shall keep the Board of Commissioners informed as to the
conduct of Township affairs; submit periodic reports on the condition
of the Township finances and such other reports as the Board of Commissioners
shall request; and shall make such recommendations to the Board of
Commissioners as he or she deems necessary.
I.
He or she shall prepare and submit to the Board of Commissioners
and to the public annually a complete report on the financial and
administrative activities of the Township for the preceding year,
as soon as possible after the close of the fiscal year.
J.
He or she shall see that the provisions of all franchises, leases,
permits, and privileges granted by the Township are observed.
K.
He or she may employ, by and with the approval of the Board of Commissioners,
experts and consultants to perform work and to advise in connection
with any of the functions of the Township.
L.
He or she shall attend to the letting of contracts in due form of
law, and he or she shall supervise the performance and faithful execution
of the same except insofar as such duties are expressly imposed upon
some other Township officer by statute.
M.
He or she shall see that all money owed the Township is promptly
paid and that proper proceedings are taken for the security and collection
of all the Township's claims.
N.
He or she shall be the Purchasing Officer of the Township and he
or she shall purchase, in accordance with the provisions of the Township
Code, all supplies and equipment for the various agencies, boards,
departments, and other offices of the Township as is authorized by
the Board of Commissioners in approving the annual operating budget.
He or she shall keep an account of all purchases and shall periodically
or when directed by the Board of Commissioners, make a full written
report thereof. He or she shall issue rules and regulations, subject
to the approval of the Board of Commissioners, for the requisitioning
and purchasing of all municipal supplies, services and equipment and
shall designate certain employees under his or her supervision to
process and account for said purchases such that purchases do not
exceed amounts appropriated therefor.
O.
All complaints regarding services or personnel of the Township shall
be referred to the office of the Manager. He or she, or an officer
designated by him or her, shall investigate such complaints or establish
procedures whereby they are recorded and forwarded to those department
heads responsible for corrective action. The Manager shall see that
adequate follow-up action shall be instituted such that citizen complaints
are attended to, and he or she shall report thereon to the Board of
Commissioners.
P.
He or she shall perform such other duties as may be required by the
Board of Commissioners, not inconsistent with the First Class Township
Code, law, or ordinance, and he or she shall hold such other municipal
offices or head one or more of the municipal departments as the Board
of Commissioners may from time to time direct.
Q.
He or she shall cooperate with the Board of Commissioners at all
times and in all matters that the best interests of the Township and
of the general public may be maintained.
[Ord. 74-24, 5/29/1974, § 8; as amended by Ord.
15-11, 10/8/2015]
No member of the Board of Commissioners shall direct the appointment
of any person to, or his or her removal from office, or so direct
the Township Manager or any of his or her subordinates to effect such
appointment or removal of any person from office, or in any manner
take part in the appointment or removal of officers and employees
in the administrative services of the Township except as required
to do so by the civil service provisions of the First Class Township
Code. Except for the purpose of inquiry, the Board of Commissioners
and its members shall deal with the administrative service solely
through the Township Manager, and neither the Board nor any member
thereof shall give orders to any subordinates of the Manager, either
publicly or privately.
[Ord. 74-24, 5/29/1974, § 9; as amended by Ord.
05-14, 8/11/2005, § 1; as amended by Ord. 15-11, 10/8/2015]
In case of illness or absence of the Manager from the Township,
he or she shall delegate one qualified member of his or her staff
who shall perform the duties of the Manager during his or her absence
or disability. The person so designated shall not perform such duties
for a period longer than two weeks without the approval of the Board
of Commissioners. In the event of disability or absence where the
Manager has not appointed a member of his or her staff to act in his
or her capacity, the Board of Commissioners shall designate a person
as "Acting Township Manager" to perform the duties of the Manager
until such time as the Manager returns to full duty.
[Ord. 64-8, 10/8/1964, § 1; as amended by Ord.
74-19, 5/29/1974, § 1]
The Township hereby provides for the audit of the accounts of
the Township by an auditor having the qualifications required by law.
[Ord. 64-8, 10/8/1964, § 2; as amended by Ord.
74-19, 5/29/1974, § 2]
The auditor shall be appointed by the Township to audit the
accounts of the Township for the fiscal year of the appointment, and
any compensation for such appointed auditor shall be fixed by the
Township.
[Ord. 64-8, 10/8/1964, § 3; as amended by Ord.
74-19, 5/29/1974, § 3]
The auditor appointed by the Township shall have and possess
all the powers and perform all the duties provided for elected auditors.
The office of elected auditor shall be abolished upon the appointment
of an auditor by the Township.
