The Township Secretary shall be elected by the
Board for an indefinite term. The Board, by an affirmative vote of
a majority of its members present at any stated monthly meeting or
at any stated meeting called for such purpose, can remove the Township
Secretary at any time, with or without cause. During his term, the
Township Secretary shall not hold any other elective governmental
office.
The Township Secretary shall be a qualified
voter of the Township at the time of his election and at all times
during his term.
The Township Secretary or his designee shall
serve as Secretary to the Board and as Secretary of the standing committees
of the Board, as well as of any special committees which may from
time to time be appointed. The Secretary or his designee shall attend
all meetings of the Board and all meetings of committees unless excused
by the Board. The Township Secretary shall be the official keeper
of the minutes and shall provide suitable books, the cost of which
shall be paid by Township funds, in which he shall enter all matters
of which he is required to keep a record.
The Township Secretary shall have custody of
and shall safely keep all records, books and documents of the Township,
except for those which are committed by ordinance to any other office.
The Secretary, upon request and the payment of the fee prescribed
by ordinance or resolution for the use of the Township, shall furnish,
under the Corporate Seal of the Township, a certified copy of any
records, books and documents in his custody.
In addition to all other duties required by
law or otherwise set forth in the Lower Merion Code, the Township
Secretary shall have the following duties and commensurate authority,
unless otherwise proscribed by law, to:
A. Assist in the preparation of the Board and committee
agendas.
B. Maintain the calendar of meetings.
C. Prepare advertisements for ordinances, notices for
bids and other legal notices in the various newspapers.
D. Administer the department budget account appropriated
for the Board of Commissioners.
E. Cosign warrant checks from the various funds of the
Township.
F. Advise the Township Manager and appropriate department
heads of actions by the Board or its committees.
G. Organize and distribute the report of correspondence,
minutes and related materials of interest to be disseminated periodically
to the Board.
H. Perform such other relevant duties as required by
the Board.
The Township Secretary shall cause the Corporate
Seal of the Township to be affixed to instruments and writings when
authorized by ordinance or resolution of the Board or when necessary
to exemplify any document on record in his office or to certify any
act or paper which, from the records in his office, shall appear to
have been a public act of the Township or a public document. He shall
not affix the Township Seal or cause or permit it to be affixed to
any other instrument or writing or other paper unless required to
do so by law or by the Lower Merion Code.
The Minute Book and other public records and
public documents of the Township shall be open to the inspection of
any taxpayer thereof and to any other person as required by law, upon
demand therefor at any time during business hours.
The Board may, by resolution, appoint an Assistant
Township secretary who shall, in the absence or disability of the
Township Secretary, perform the duties and exercise the powers of
the Township Secretary. The compensation, if any, of such an Assistant
Township Secretary shall be determined by the Board, and he shall
give bond in such an amount as required by the Board.