Operational departments of government shall
be created or abolished by the Borough Council. Within each department,
however, the organization and implementation of specific functions
shall be the responsibility of the department head, subject to the
review and approval of the Borough Manager or, in the case of the
Police Department, by the Mayor.
A.
The Office of Borough Manager has been created by the Home Rule Charter and has the power and duties as provided by Article V of the Home Rule Charter. The Manager shall be the chief administrative officer of the Borough and shall have those powers and duties prescribed by law, the Charter and ordinance, including the power and duty to:
(1)
Administer and enforce those personnel policies and
regulations required by the Charter, by law, by ordinance and by resolution
of the Council, except in those specific instances where other provisions
for administration and enforcement have been specified by ordinance
or contract.
(2)
Develop and maintain employment records reflecting
all aspects of the service of Borough employees, except the police
officers.
(3)
Authorize a department head or other employees responsible
to the Manager to appoint, suspend and remove subordinates serving
under that department head or official.
(4)
Designate an employee to temporarily perform the duties
of any office or position which is vacant until the office or position
is filled in accordance with the Charter and this chapter.
(5)
Prescribe such administrative rules, practices and
procedures as shall be deemed necessary or expedient for the conduct
and operation of administrative departments and revoke, suspend or
amend any rules, practices or procedures by whomever prescribed, unless
contained in an ordinance, a contract or a resolution adopted by the
Council, and make such rules, practices and procedures available to
affected employees and for public inspection.
(6)
Investigate or inquire into the operations of any
department.
(7)
Overrule or set aside any action taken by a department
head except that of the Police Chief with respect to police officers.
(8)
Assign any employee to any department requiring the
services of that employee; provided, however, that such assignment
is appropriate to and consistent with the personnel classification
of the employee and applicable personnel rules and regulations.
B.
Establishment of departments. The following departments
are hereby established to operate under the direction and supervision
of the Borough Manager and then under the department head as indicated:
(1)
Department of Finance - Director of Finance/Treasurer.
(2)
Department of Recreation - Director of Recreation.
(3)
Department of Public Works - Director of Public Works.
(4)
Department of Building, Housing and Codes Enforcement:
Director of Building, Housing and Codes Enforcement.
(5)
Department of Wastewater Treatment - Superintendent
of Wastewater Treatment.
(7)
Department of Police, to be managed by the Chief of
Police under the direction of the Mayor. Nonpolice civilian employees
assigned to the Police Department will be supervised by the Chief
of Police but will be under the ultimate direction of the Borough
Manager.
(8)
Department of Fire, managed by the Fire Chief, is
established consisting of the Volunteer Fire Companies serving the
Borough. The Fire Chief will report to the Borough Manager for budgetary
and administrative affairs.
(9)
Department of Borough Solicitor, whose activities
will be supervised by the Borough Manager.
(10)
Department of Borough Engineer, whose activities will
be supervised by the Borough Manager.
C.
Appointment of Department Directors.
(1)
Directors of departments of the Borough which operate
under the direction and supervision of the Borough Manager shall possess
the necessary qualifications for their respective offices as established
by the Borough Manager and the Borough Job Description Manual. They
shall be appointed and removed by the Borough Manager in accordance
with the provisions of Section 502 of the Home Rule Charter.
(2)
The Borough Council shall appoint a Borough Solicitor
for a two-year term every January of an odd-numbered year. The Solicitor
shall be a person or firm who is licensed to practice law in the commonwealth
and who maintains a practice in the proximity of the Borough. The
Solicitor may be removed with or without cause at any time during
his or her term.
[Amended 6-27-2012 by Ord. No. 10-2012]
(3)
The Borough Council may appoint a Borough Engineer
for a two-year term every January of an odd-numbered year. The Engineer
may be an individual, a partnership or a corporation licensed to practice
civil engineering in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and shall be
appointed on the basis of his or her professional qualifications.
The Engineer may be removed with or without cause at any time during
his or her term.
[Amended 6-27-2012 by Ord. No. 10-2012]
(4)
The West Chester Volunteer Fire Department shall nominate
a Fire Chief in accordance with company procedures and bylaws for
a three-year term. The Borough Council will consider the nomination
and vote to approve the Fire Chief prior to him/her being sworn into
office.
(5)
The Borough Council may appoint a Planning Consultant for a two-year
term every January of an odd-numbered year. The Planning Consultant
may be an individual, a partnership or a corporation who has obtained
a certification from the American Institute of Certified Planners
or another nationally recognized planning agency. The Planning Consultant
may be removed with or without cause at any time during his or her
term.
[Added 6-27-2012 by Ord. No. 10-2012]
D.
Responsibilities of Department Directors.
(1)
Directors of departments of the Borough which operate
under the direction and supervision of the Borough Manager shall be
directly and immediately responsible to the Borough Manager for the
effective administration and operation of their respective departments
and all activities pertaining thereto.
(2)
The Police Chief shall be directly and immediately
responsible to the Mayor for the effective administration of the Police
Department.
(3)
Department Directors shall have all powers and duties
and shall be subject to all obligations and liabilities heretofore
or hereafter lawfully granted or imposed by the Home Rule Charter,
this Administrative Code, ordinance or resolution of the Borough Council,
order or direction of the Manager or any law of the Commonwealth not
inconsistent with the Home Rule Charter.
(4)
Borough departments shall cooperate with other departments
in furnishing such services, labor and materials as may be requisitioned
by the Directors of such other departments, subject to such regulations
as the Borough Manager may prescribe.
(5)
Borough departments shall establish, maintain and
preserve a system of filing and indexing records and reports in sufficient
detail in order to furnish all information necessary for proper departmental
activities and in order to form a basis for periodic reports to the
Borough Manager, the Borough Council or the Mayor as appropriate.
A.
The Department of Finance shall be responsible for
all activities relating but not limited to the following functions:
(1)
General financial administration.
(2)
Tax and revenue collection.
(3)
Accounting and expenditure control.
(4)
Payroll administration and control.
(5)
Insurance programs.
(6)
Budget preparation and control.
(7)
Capital programming.
(8)
Internal auditing.
(9)
Purchasing systems.
(10)
Property and inventory maintenance.
(11)
Staff assistance to independent auditors.
(12)
Staff assistance to boards and commissions or committees
as assigned.
(13)
All other responsibilities and obligations that the
Borough Manager may from time to time assign consistent with the Home
Rule Charter and this Administrative Code.
B.
The Department of Recreation shall be responsible
for all activities relating but not limited to the following functions:
(1)
Youth programs and activities.
(2)
Adult programs and activities.
(3)
Cultural arts activities and programs.
(4)
Liaison between and coordination of private and quasi-public
resident recreation programs.
(5)
Staff assistance to the Recreation Commission and
the Borough Council committees as assigned.
(6)
All other responsibilities and obligations that the
Borough Manager may from time to time assign consistent with the Home
Rule Charter and this Administrative Code.
C.
The Department of Public Works shall be responsible
for all activities relating but not limited to the following functions:
(1)
Maintenance of municipal buildings, equipment and
functions.
(2)
Construction and maintenance of streets and sewers.
(3)
Erection and maintenance of parking and traffic control
signals, signs and street markings.
(4)
Coordination and direction of refuse/recycling material
removal and disposal.
(5)
Maintenance of parks, playgrounds and open space areas.
(6)
Maintenance of recreational facilities.
(7)
Planting, care and removal of trees on public lands
and rights-of-way.
(8)
Direction and coordination of contractual grounds
maintenance programs.
(9)
All other responsibilities and obligations that the
Borough Manager may, from time to time, assign consistent with the
Home Rule Charter and this Administrative Code.
D.
The Department of Building, Housing and Codes Enforcement
shall be responsible for all activities relating but not limited to
the following functions:
(1)
Housing, land and building inspection.
(2)
Enforcement of Borough building, housing, fire prevention
codes and other minor ordinances as assigned.
[Amended 1-21-2004 by Ord. No. 1-2004]
(3)
Coordination of code enforcement with other agencies.
(5)
Technical and staff review assistance to the Planning
Commission.
(6)
Technical and staff review assistance to the Zoning
Hearing Board.
(7)
Technical and staff review assistance to the Building,
Housing and Fire Codes Appeals Board.
(8)
Technical and staff assistance to the Historic Architectural
Review Board.
(9)
[2]All other responsibilities and obligations that the Borough
Manager may from time to time assign consistent with the Home Rule
Charter and this Administrative Code.
[2]
Editor's Note: Former Subsection D(9), Direction
and operation of the Parking Services Division, was repealed 1-21-2004
by Ord. No. 1-2004. This ordinance also provided for the redesignation
of former Subsection D(10) as Subsection D(9).
E.
The Department of Wastewater Treatment shall be responsible
for all activities relating but not limited to the following functions:
(1)
Operation and maintenance of wastewater treatment
plants.
(2)
Operation and maintenance of wastewater treatment
pumping stations throughout the wastewater collection system.
(3)
Compliance with federal and state regulation pertaining
to wastewater treatment.
(4)
Assistance to the Public Works Department with maintenance
and operation of the wastewater collection system.
(6)
Assistance to the Department of Finance for wastewater
billing.
(7)
All other responsibilities and obligations that the
Borough Manager may from time to time assign consistent with the Home
Rule Charter and this Administrative Code.
F.
The Department of Parking Services shall be responsible
for all activities relating to parking in the Borough which shall
include, but not be limited to, the following functions:
[Amended 1-21-2004 by Ord. No. 1-2004]
(1)
Administration and enforcement of parking ordinances and the parking program established in Chapter 77 of the Borough Code.
(2)
Operation of all public parking facilities located
in the Borough.
(3)
Coordination with the Police Department, Public Works
Department, Finance Department and other Borough departments on issues
relating to parking in the Borough.
(5)
Maintenance of complete and accurate records of all
parking permits issued and enforcement of parking ordinances.
(6)
Coordination with the Borough Solicitor on enforcement
of parking ordinances and preparation for court hearings concerning
parking violations..
(7)
Advise Borough Manager and Borough Council on matters
relating to parking within the Borough.
G.
The West Chester Volunteer Fire Department shall be
the recognized agency to provide fire protection to the Borough of
West Chester.
H.
The Department of Police shall be responsible for
all activities relating but not limited to the following functions:
(1)
General preservation of public order.
(2)
Enforcement of parking and other Borough ordinances
in addition to other departments authorized to enforce Borough ordinances.
(3)
Prevention and suppression of crime.
(4)
Apprehension of violators of the law.
(5)
Protection of life and property.
(6)
Traffic and pedestrian control and safety.
(7)
Investigation of crimes.
(8)
Maintenance of police records and files.
(9)
Operation of the holding facility.
(10)
Operation of the emergency communications system.
(11)
Coordination of police programs and services with
other agencies.
(12)
Staff assistance to the Civil Service Commission by
civilian employees.
(13)
All other responsibilities and obligations that the
Mayor may from time to time assign consistent with the Home Rule Charter
and this Administrative Code.
I.
The Borough Solicitor shall be responsible for all
activities relating but not limited to the following functions:
(1)
Furnishing legal advice to the Borough Council, to
the Mayor, to the Borough Manager and to boards and commissions, except
as provided otherwise by this Administrative Code or the laws of the
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, concerning any matter or thing arising
in connection with the exercise of their official powers or performance
of their official duties.
(2)
Appearing for and representing the Borough on matters
before the various regulatory agencies or other governmental bodies
and in the courts of the Commonwealth.
(3)
All other responsibilities and obligations that the
Borough Council or the Borough Manager may from time to time assign
consistent with the Home Rule Charter and this Administrative Code.
J.
The Borough Engineer shall be responsible for all
activities relating but not limited to the following functions:
(1)
Engineering matters of the Borough as referred, such
as land development and subdivision review, or other consultation
assistance.
(2)
Staff assistance to the Public Works Department or
the Building and Housing Department.
(3)
All other responsibilities and obligations that the
Borough Council or the Borough Manager may from time to time assign
consistent with the Home Rule Charter and this Administrative Code.
