In accordance with the power vested in the Board of Commissioners by §§
C103 and
C1301 of the Cheltenham Township Charter, the following boards, committees and commissions are hereby created and established, which shall have the powers, duties, number of members and terms of office more particularly specified hereafter.
[Amended 10-19-1982 by Ord. No. 1548; 7-21-1992 by Ord. No.
1755-95; 11-21-1995 by Ord. No. 1846-95; 4-21-2009 by Ord. No.
2181-09]
There shall be a Library Board consisting of seven members. One of said members shall be the President or designee of the Glenside Library; one of said members shall be the President or designee of the Elkins Park Library; one of said members shall be the President or designee of the East Cheltenham Library; one of said members shall be the President or designee of the La Mott Library; one of said members shall be a Township Commissioner or alternate appointed by the Commissioners' President; and two of said members shall be from the public at large. The term of office of members, their organizations, powers and duties shall be as set forth in §§
5-55B and
C of Chapter
5, Administration of Government, of the Code of the Township of Cheltenham.
[Amended 11-21-1995 by Ord. No. 1846-95; 12-21-2022 by Ord. No. 2450-22]
There shall be a Board of Historical Architectural Review, whose composition, powers and duties shall be as prescribed in §
295-1804 of Chapter
295, Zoning.
[Added 5-22-2007 by Ord. No. 2134-07]
A. Creation. A citizens advisory committee to be known
as the “Cheltenham Township Environmental Advisory Council”
(EAC) is hereby created, as enabled by Act 148 of 1973 of the Pennsylvania
General Assembly, and shall continue to function until this section
of the Cheltenham Township Code is revoked.
B. Purpose. The purpose of the EAC is to advise the Cheltenham
Township local government agencies, including, but not limited to,
the Board of Commissioners, the Planning Commission, and other local
citizen advisory commissions, boards and committees on matters dealing
with the protection, conservation, management, promotion and use of
natural resources, including air, water and land, located within the
Township limits; and to work with the Cheltenham Township agencies
and other partners to maintain, conserve, protect and develop the
natural resources in Cheltenham Township in a sustainable way that
will continue to attract, and retain residents, visitors, and businesses.
C. Membership and terms of office. The Board President
of the Commissioners of Cheltenham Township shall appoint all members
of the EAC, with the advice and consent of the Board of Commissioners
in accordance within the Township’s Home Rule Charter. Members
must be residents of Cheltenham Township. Membership on the Council
shall be composed of seven members with ex officio members. Members
shall serve three-year terms with initial members appointed on staggered
terms using the following format: 1/3 of the members initially serving
a one-year term, a second third as a two-year term and the remaining
members as a three-year term, then with all successive members serving
three-year terms. Members of the EAC shall elect a Chairperson and
Vice Chairperson following the Board of Commissioners' annual reorganization
meeting. Whenever possible, one member shall be a member of the local
planning commission, at least two members should have technical training
in the environmental field, and members should represent the various
neighborhoods within the Township. A Township staff member liaison
shall be appointed to the EAC by the Township Manager.
D. Duties and powers. The EAC shall have the following
duties and powers:
(1) To identify environmental problems, issues, and trends
affecting the Township of Cheltenham.
(2) To recommend plans, projects and programs to the Board
of Commissioners and other appropriate Township commissions, boards,
committees, or other agencies to encourage the sustainable development
of Cheltenham Township. For the purpose of this section, “sustainable
development” is defined as development that meets the needs
of the present residents without compromising the ability of future
generations to meet their own needs to promote and conserve natural
resources, and to protect and improve the quality of the environment
within the Township limits, and for Township residents’ enjoyment
of it.
(3) To promote the Township of Cheltenham as an environmentally
sustainable community and provide public education and outreach, projects,
plans and programs needed to support this promotion.
(4) To recommend possible uses of open land areas within
the Township as recommended in, but not limited to, the Cheltenham
Township Open Space Plan.
(5) To advise as to how to revise the Cheltenham Township
Open Space Plan, and the Tookany Creek Watershed Management Plan,
which would include keeping an inventory of all open space, publicly
and privately owned, including, but not limited to, flood-prone areas,
wetlands, forests, riparian areas, aquifer recharge areas, and other
unique natural areas, for the purpose of obtaining information on
the use of such areas that will promote sustainable development in
Cheltenham Township.
(6) To work cooperatively with other municipal EACs, partnerships
and public and private entities to address issues affecting the sustainable
development of multiple townships, such as watershed issues, riparian
areas, forests and aquifer recharge areas.
(7) To advise the Public Works Committee and other appropriate
Township boards, commissions or committees on the acquisition and
management of property, both real and personal, by gift, purchase,
grant, bequest, easement, devise or lease, in matters dealing with
the protection, conservation, management, promotion and use of natural
resources and the sustainable development of Cheltenham Township.
(8) To undertake such environmental or sustainability-related
tasks as requested by the Public Works Committee.
(9) To provide, at the request of the Public Works Committee
or any of the Township advisory committees, input on programs or projects,
including land development projects or activities under review by
said board or committees related to the environment. Notwithstanding
the input, the process shall not obviate the need to comply with review
deadlines such as but not limited to the Pennsylvania Municipalities
Planning Code.
(10) To participate in programs available to EACs, including,
but not limited to, educational services, exchange of information,
assignment of technical personnel for natural resources planning assistance
and coordination of state and local conservation activities, as may
be established by the State Conservation Commission or the Pennsylvania
Department of Environmental Protection, and any program of assistance
to EACs in planning for the management, use and development of open
space sites, the Tookany Creek Watershed, and parks and recreation
areas, and any other programs of assistance that may be advantageous
to the sustainable development of Cheltenham Township.
(11) To explore funding sources and make recommendations
to the Public Works Committee.
(12) To keep written records of its public meetings and
activities. The EAC will submit its meeting minutes for review and
acceptance by the Public Works Committee of the Board of Commissioners.
The meeting minutes will be approved, or amended and approved, at
the next EAC meeting. Copies of the EAC meeting minutes will be maintained
and made available to the public at the Cheltenham Township Administration
Building.
[Amended 1-22-2008 by Ord. No. 2151-08]
A. There shall be a Substance Abuse and Mental Health
Committee composed of not less than 15 nor more than 35 members.
B. The terms of office of members shall be two years,
which shall be on a staggered basis so that at least 1/2 of the total
membership shall be appointed each year.
C. The duties of the Committee shall be to advise the
Public Affairs Committee of the Board on programs to inform the public
of available services and information regarding the treatment of drug
and alcohol problems and problems relative to mental health.
[Amended 10-21-2008 by Ord. No. 2165-08; 1-20-2021 by Ord. No. 2420-21; 3-17-2021 by Ord. No. 2424-21]
A. There shall be a Civil Rights Task Force consisting
of nine members. Two members shall be members of the Board of Commissioners
and seven members shall be selected by the Board of Commissioners
from the public-at-large.
B. The duties of the Task Force shall be to advise the
Public Affairs Committee of the Board of Commissioners on procedures
to encourage compliance with all laws, federal and state, respecting
the rights of citizens, the education of the public with respect thereto
and the solution of problems regarding civil rights.
C. Terms of office shall be for one year.
[Added 3-9-2002 by Ord. No. 2005-02;
amended 2-15-2005 by Ord. No. 2077-05; 12-19-2006 by Ord. No. 2122-06; 5-26-2009 by Ord. No. 2184-09]
A. There shall be a Cheltenham Township Twinning Committee comprised of not more than 15 voting members appointed by the Board of Commissioners in conformity with §
C1302 of the Charter.
B. The Township and the Borough of Cheltenham, County
of Gloucestershire, England have coordinated events in the past and
through the establishment of this Committee, they will continue to
maintain and further the bond of friendship that was established with
the Township’s sister town during the Township’s centennial
year and through the official signing of a Twinning Agreement, which
took place on October 11, 2003.
C. The duties of this Committee are to advise the Board
of Commissioners, through its Public Affairs Committee, on all tasks
and functions necessary to establish exchange programs, carry out
events and projects, develop budgets, identify and secure financial
sponsors to help offset expenditures, develop schedules and itineraries,
arrange for host families, and coordinate other accommodations which
are necessary to facilitate activities and events that promote the
comprehension of each other’s way of life, including the development
of cultural, social, educational, governmental, fraternal, sporting,
and other exchanges to strengthen the bond between the two towns and
countries.
D. The terms of office shall be for two years, staggered,
with 1/2 of members having terms expiring in even-number years and
the rest having terms expiring in odd-number years.
No person may be appointed to the Civil Service
Commission, the Planning Commission, the Zoning Hearing Board or to
any other citizens group, or a class of members thereof, which functions
other than in an advisory capacity when, in the case of a citizens'
group or class thereof with fewer than five members, such appointment
would result in more than 2/3 of the members of such class or such
citizens' group being members of the same political party, or when,
in the case of such class or citizens' group with five or more members,
such appointment would result in more than 80% of the members of such
class or citizens' group being members of the same political party.
Any existing board, committee or commission
not herein established which is in existence as of the adoption of
this chapter shall continue until December 31, 1977, when its existence
shall automatically terminate.
The effective date for the operation of the
heretofore established boards, committees and commissioners shall
be January 1, 1978. All appointed members of any of the above established
boards, committees or commissions shall continue in office for the
balance of the term of their original appointments or until such group
ceases to exist, whichever first occurs.