[HISTORY: Adopted by the City Council of the City of Hazleton 11-16-1995 by Ord. No. 95-18 as Ch. 40 of the 1995 Code. Amendments noted where applicable.]
A council of governments is being formed and will hereafter be referred to as the "Mountain Council of Governments."
Said Mountain Council of Governments is a voluntary association of local government units joined together under a written compact to improve cooperation, coordination and planning.
It is intended that the Mountain Council of Governments is intended to provide an entity for undertaking cooperative municipal activities authorized by the State Constitution and acts of the General Assembly such as the Intergovernmental Cooperation Act of 1972.[1]
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Editor's Note: For current provisions, see 53 Pa.C.S.A. § 2301 et seq.
The Mountain Council of Governments is an informal council and does not have the power to legislate or levy taxes. It is strictly voluntary; no municipality is required to join and can withdraw at will.
The Mountain Council of Government is flexible and its composition may be tailored to fit the needs of the specific areas. They are multipurpose in scope and engage in a wide variety of activities, such as joint purchasing, criminal investigation and regional recreation.
The Council of Governments will serve as a place for the collection and exchange of information of regional interest and provide the machinery to ensure that communication and coordination between various local government units is maintained. It provides a method for individual municipalities within the region to project a unified voice to state and federal governments, thereby strengthening local government by providing the vehicle for dealing with the larger units. It will provide an opportunity to minimize conflicts and misunderstandings between individual municipalities.
The City of Hazleton hereby approves the formation of a Council of Governments, hereafter called the "Mountain Council of Governments," and hereby wishes to join and accepts its bylaws.