The role of the Charter in interpreting this Administrative Code shall be as follows: In the event there is any inconsistency or conflict in the Charter and the provisions of this Administrative Code, the provisions of the Charter shall take precedence.
The number of Council members, their terms, election and qualifications and the filling of Council vacancies shall be as provided in the Charter.
A. 
The day, time and place of the organizational meeting of City Council shall be the first meeting in each year following a municipal election, the date of which shall be established by City Council in December of the preceding year. The first order of business shall be the election of a Vice Chair from among the City Council members. The said Vice Chair shall serve for two years only, and his/her office shall expire on the first meeting of Council in January every two years thereafter, at which time Council shall fill, by resolution, the office of Vice Chair.
B. 
The second order of business shall be to set Council meeting dates and times for the upcoming year. The City Clerk will advertise the schedule.
Council shall meet pursuant to the public notice provisions of the Sunshine Act, at least once per month. Dates will be established at the Council organizational meeting. For years with no Council organizational meeting, Council meeting dates for the coming year will be established at the last meeting of the year. Council may cancel meetings as long as the requirements of the Sunshine Act are met and notice is provided.
A. 
Public notice. Provisions governing public notice of meetings shall be as provided by law.
B. 
The Chair shall preside over meetings of Council. In the absence of the Chair, the Vice Chair shall preside over meetings and exercise the duties of the Chair. In the absence of the Chair and Vice Chair, the longest-tenured member of Council shall preside over meetings and exercise the duties of the Chair.
C. 
Regular meetings. Regular meeting dates and times shall be held per the schedule established at either the organizational meeting or established at the last Council meeting of the year for the coming year. The Council may adjourn to a stated time for general business or for special business. If no quorum is present at a stated meeting or adjourned meeting, a majority of those who do meet may agree upon another date for a meeting and may continue to do so until the meeting is held.
D. 
Special meetings. Special meetings may be called by the Chair of Council or may be called at the request of a majority of the members of Council. Special meetings of Council must provide 24 hours' notice to each member. Notice to call a special meeting may be either verbal or by electronic means. Publication as required by the Sunshine Act by the City Clerk shall be at least 24 hours before a special meeting is to be held. Such notice shall specify the time and place of the special meeting and the business to be transacted. No other business shall be considered at such meeting by the Council other than the business stated in the notice. Presence at the meeting constitutes waiver of notice.
E. 
Emergency meetings. The Council may hold and take action at an emergency meeting at any time. Such emergency meetings may be called by the City Manager or by any member of the Council, provided that:
(1) 
A quorum is present as provided in the Charter; and
(2) 
The majority of the Council determines that the holding of such meeting and the taking of emergency action at that time is necessary to protect or promote the public health and safety of the City.
F. 
Executive sessions. The Council may hold executive sessions as permitted by law. No official action shall be taken by the Council on any matter in executive session.
G. 
In the event a regular or special meeting needs to be postponed because of weather emergency or similar circumstances, the Council Chair may determine the date and time of the postponed meeting. Reasonable effort to fulfill the notice requirements shall be made, but broadcast announcements and telephone calls to members shall be deemed to meet minimum requirements.
All meetings of the Council shall be open to the public as provided by law and Charter. Those using electronic recording devices, including but not limited to video cameras, to record meetings in Council Chambers shall stay behind the podium area in Council Chambers. Those recording meetings in any room other than the Council Chambers shall position themselves or position the recording device no closer than the entry door to a room where the meeting is being held. No person may begin recording before the meeting is called to order by the Chair of the meeting, and the recording must be terminated at the time the meeting is adjourned.
A. 
The proposed agenda for any meeting of the Council shall be prepared by the City Clerk in consultation with the City Manager.
B. 
The title of any ordinance or resolution to be considered shall be published as part of the agenda.
C. 
The proposed agenda may be amended at the meeting.
At the time appointed for any meeting of the Council, the Chair shall call the meeting to order. If a quorum is present, as provided in the Charter, the Chair shall proceed with the order of business prescribed for the meeting. If, upon the call of the roll, a quorum is not present, the Chair shall order a recess for a period of 30 minutes. If a quorum has not developed in that time, the Chair shall declare the meeting adjourned and, upon his or her own motion, establish a new date for a meeting. (Note: Section 3.2.4 of the Charter states: "Quorum. The action of a majority of the members of Council shall constitute a quorum. The action of a majority of the Council present and entitled to vote, unless otherwise stated in this Charter, shall be binding upon and constitute the action of the Council.")
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 meeting.
B. 
The Council at its organization meeting may adopt rules governing its procedure. The City Clerk shall announce all decisions of the Council. The Chair shall decide all questions of order without debate, subject, however, to an appeal by any Council member. Any ruling by the Chair may be overruled by a majority of the members present.
C. 
Every member of the Council desiring to speak shall address the Chair and, upon recognition by the Chair, shall confine their remarks to the question at hand, avoiding all indecorous language or reference to personalities. A member of the Council, once recognized, shall not be interrupted when speaking unless it is for the purpose of calling such person to order. If a member of Council, while speaking, is called to order, that person shall cease speaking until the question of order is determined. When two or more members request the floor at the same time, the Chair shall name the one entitled to the floor.
D. 
The roll of members shall be called alphabetically by the City Clerk, except that the Chair shall be called last.
E. 
Each of the seven members of City Council shall vote on all questions coming before the Council, except as hereinafter provided. The Chair shall have no right of veto. No member in attendance shall withhold his/her vote on any measure, bill, resolution, or question and if such member abstains, said member shall enter a valid reason upon the minutes. A member who has a personal or private interest in any question, resolution, measure, or bill proposed or pending before the Council shall disclose the fact to Council, shall not vote thereon, nor take any part in any discussion of the same, pursuant to the Pennsylvania Ethics Act. If such interested persons shall vote without disclosing his/her interest in such question, resolution, measure, or bill, Council may void the enactment or transaction or not, as it deems best.
These rules are intended to promote an orderly system of public comment, to give every person an opportunity to be heard, and to ensure that no individual is embarrassed by exercising his or her right of free speech. Public comment is permitted at the regular meetings of Council.
A. 
Persons desiring to formally address Council at its stated meetings may do so by providing notice to the City Clerk on the subject matter to be discussed at least one calendar week prior to the day of the meeting in order for the item to be considered for the agenda.
B. 
A citizen shall be provided the opportunity to address the Council on any agenda item without written notice. The Chair shall limit the time each person shall speak, giving equal time to all, but such time shall be limited to not more than five minutes.
C. 
When a group of persons wishes to address the Council on the same subject matter, it shall be proper for the Chair to request that a spokesperson be chosen by the group to address the Council and to limit the number of persons addressing the Council on the same matter so as to avoid unnecessary repetition.
D. 
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 shall be forthwith barred by the Chair from further audience at the meeting unless permission to continue be granted by the majority vote of the Council members present.
E. 
All remarks must be directed to Council as a body and not to any Council member or public or elected official in attendance. Any person making personally offensive or impertinent remarks or who shall become unruly while addressing Council may be called to order by the Chair, and may be barred from speaking before Council, unless permission to continue speaking is granted by a majority vote of Council.
F. 
All comments by the public shall be made from the speaker's podium. No comments shall be made from any other location except the podium, and anyone making "out of order" comments may be subject to removal. There will be no demonstration at the conclusion of anyone's presentation.
G. 
Citizens may not ask questions of a Council member or other elected or public official in attendance. However, Council members, elected or public officials may make a statement in response to comments made by citizens at the conclusion of the public comment.
The Council may create committees or commissions as Council deems appropriate. The number of committee members and its duties shall be stated in the motion of appointment.
A. 
Official actions of the Council shall be taken by ordinance, resolution, or motion as provided in the Charter. Every legislative act of Council shall be by resolution or ordinance, and every ordinance which shall have passed said Council shall be signed by the Mayor and attested by the City Clerk. Nothing in this article is intended to preclude Council from taking appropriate action by resolution or motion.
B. 
The Council shall appoint a City Manager.
C. 
The Council may make investigations into the affairs of the municipality and the conduct of any municipal department, office or agency.
D. 
The Council shall continue or create, and determine and define, the powers and duties of such executive and administrative departments, boards, and offices, in addition to those provided for herein, as it may deem necessary for the proper and efficient conduct of the affairs of the municipality. Any department, board or office so continued or created may, at any time, be abolished by the Council. No member of Council shall head an administrative department.
E. 
It is the intention of this article, as set forth in the Charter, that the Council shall act in all matters as a body, and it is contrary to the spirit of this article for any of its members to seek individually to influence the official acts of the City Manager, or any other officer or for the Council or any of its members to direct or request the appointment of any person to or his/her removal from office, or to interfere in any way with the performance by such officers of their duties. The Council and its members shall deal with the administrative service solely through the City Manager and shall not give orders to any subordinates of the City Manager, either publicly or privately. Nothing herein contained shall prevent the municipal City Council from appointing committees or commissions of its own members or of citizens to conduct investigations into the conduct of any officer or department, or to any matter relating to the welfare of the municipality, and delegating to such committee or commissions such powers of inquiry as are given to members of Council as a whole.
F. 
The Council shall appoint members to authorities, boards and commissions as authorized by law or the Charter. Pursuant to Section 4.3(A)(2) of the Charter, the Mayor shall nominate all members of authorities, boards and commissions, unless otherwise provided by law.
G. 
The Council shall designate the Finance Director, or Deputy Finance Director, and the City Clerk or Deputy City Clerk, to sign all disbursements for the City; provided, however, that in an emergency either of the above officials, along with the City Manager, may sign the said disbursements.
H. 
The budget and any amendments thereto shall be presented to Council in accordance with the applicable provisions set forth in the Home Rule Charter and the Third Class City Code (specifically only 53 P.S. §§ 36809 and 36810;[1] however, nothing herein shall be interpreted as in any manner affecting tax rates or limitations), unless otherwise set forth herein.
(1) 
In addition to Subsection H hereof, the budget process shall begin no later than September of each year.
(2) 
Council shall annually adopt a five-year capital program as part of the annual budget. Funding for the first year of the adopted five-year capital program shall be included in the annual budget. Revisions may be made to specific projects in the capital budget at the discretion of Council.
[1]
Editor's Note: Said 53 P.S. §§ 36809 and 36810 were repealed 11-24-2015 by P.L. 242, No. 67. See now 11 Pa.C.S.A. § 10101 et seq.
Provisions as to salary and expense reimbursement shall be as provided in the annual Budget Ordinance.
A. 
City Clerk. The Council shall appoint a City Clerk to carry out the duties of the City Clerk as defined in the Charter. The City Manager shall provide direction to the City Clerk in the daily administration of duties.
B. 
Deputy City Clerk. The Council may appoint a Deputy City Clerk. The City Manager shall provide direction to the Deputy City Clerk in the daily administration of duties. The Deputy City Clerk shall provide assistance in the performance of duties of the City Clerk.
C. 
City Solicitor. The City Solicitor shall be appointed by the Council in accordance with the Charter. The City Manager shall provide direction to the City Solicitor in the daily administration of duties.
D. 
Assistant City Solicitor. The Council may appoint an Assistant City Solicitor. The City Manager shall provide direction to the Assistant City Solicitor in the daily administration of duties. The Assistant City Solicitor shall provide assistance in the performance of the duties of the City Solicitor.