Such elected officials shall, prior to assuming office, take and sign an oath of office as prescribed by the laws of the commonwealth. Such oath may be taken and signed before any Judge, District Justice or Notary Public of the commonwealth, and no person shall be permitted to assume office until the oath, in written form, is filed with the Township.
[Amended 10-19-1998 by Ord. No. HR-278]
Before entering upon the duties of their respective offices or positions, the Manager, Finance Director and any other officers or employees of the Township as the Board may determine shall execute and file, with the Township Corporate, surety bonds, conditioned for the honest and faithful performance of their respective duties, in such amounts as shall be established by the Board. The Township Solicitor shall approve in writing all fidelity bonds before they are accepted by the Board. The agency placing the bonds shall be determined by the Board, and the premium for the bonds shall be paid by the Township.
[Amended 3-18-1991 by Ord. No. HR-163; 4-20-2009 by Ord. No. HR-376; 2-27-2012 by Ord. No. HR-393]
A. 
General.
(1) 
All contracts for the purchase of materials, equipment and supplies or for maintenance, repairs or construction in an amount requiring solicitation of quotes under 53 P.S. § 6812(b), as amended, except those excluded from competitive bidding requirements by § C-56C of the Charter, may be made by the Board after solicitation of two or more quotes.
(2) 
All contracts for the purchase of materials, equipment and supplies or for maintenance, repairs or construction in an amount requiring competitive bidding under 53 P.S. § 6812(a), as amended, except those excluded from competitive bidding requirements by § C-56C of the Charter, shall be made only to the lowest responsive bidder after receipt of one or more sealed or electronic bids via auction received after notice.
(3) 
The Township hereby permits electronic submission and receipt of bids for competitive bidding for purchases and contracts.
(4) 
The Township hereby permits the use of competitive electronic auction bidding for any contract for supplies or services (but not for construction or design professional services), subject to the following conditions:
(a) 
Any invitations for bids shall be issued and shall include a procurement description, all contractual terms, and conditions applicable to the procurement (including a notice that bids will be received electronically).
(b) 
Public notice and advertisement of the invitation for bids shall be given in the same manner as provided by law for Township contracts.
(c) 
For the auction process, bids shall be accepted electronically at the time and in the manner designated in the invitation for bids. During the auction, bidders shall have the capability to view their bid rank and/or the low price. Bidders may reduce their bid during the auction. At the conclusion of the auction, the record of the bid prices received and the name of each bidder shall be open to public inspection.
(d) 
After the auction period has terminated, withdrawal of bids shall be permitted only by the written determination of the Township when the bidder requests relief and presents credible evidence that the reason for the lower bid price was a clerical mistake, as opposed to a judgment mistake, and was actually due to an unintentional, arithmetical error, or an unintentional omission of a substantial quantity of work, labor, material or services made directly in the compilation of the bid. The request for relief and the supporting evidence must be received by the Township five days after the bid opening.
(e) 
The contract shall be awarded within 60 days of the auction by written notice to the lowest responsible bidder, or all bids shall be rejected, except as otherwise provided in this section. Extensions of the date for the award may be made by mutual written consent of the Township and the lowest responsible bidder.
(5) 
When competitive bidding is required, notice shall be published at least once in one or more newspapers generally circulated in the Township between seven and 30 days before the date established for opening of sealed bids or start of electronic auction. Each sealed bid, and each electronic bid prior to acceptance by the Township, shall be accompanied by a certified check, bank cashier's or treasurer's check or a bid bond with corporate surety satisfactory to the Township in an amount equal to and not less than 10% of the bid. In the case of any materials, equipment or supplies to be acquired by the Township by chattel mortgage, bailment lease, conditional sale contract or other security agreement, the total cost shall be the total amount payable pursuant thereto throughout the term thereof. In the event of an emergency interruption of a service supplied by the Township, the immediate restoration of which is necessary to the health, safety or welfare of the citizens of the Township, oral or written competitive bids for the materials, equipment, supplies or services necessary for such restoration may be received by the Board at any time and awarded forthwith.
(6) 
The award of bids shall only be made by public announcement at the meeting at which bids are received or at a subsequent meeting the time and place of which shall be publicly announced when bids are received. If for any reason one or both of the above meetings shall not be held, the same business may be transacted at any subsequent meeting if at least five days' notice thereof shall be published in a newspaper published or circulating generally in the Township.
(7) 
Where quotes or sealed or electronic bids are not required pursuant to Subsection A(1) above, the Board may designate the Manager or other employee as purchasing agent who may, on behalf of the Township, enter into contracts for the purchase of materials, equipment and supplies or for maintenance, repairs or construction. Any such purchasing agent shall be strictly accountable for all purchases which that person makes or authorizes. If the Board elects not to designate a purchasing agent, the Board may nevertheless enter into such contracts.
B. 
Bonds for the protection of labor. For contracts awarded after receipt of one or more sealed or electronic bids per Subsection A(2) above, the prime contractor shall furnish to the Township a bond in a sum not less than 100% of the contract amount for the protection of persons supplying labor or material to the prime contractor or to any subcontractors in the prosecution of the work provided for in such contract and shall be conditioned for the prompt payment of all such material furnished or labor supplied or performed in the prosecution of the work. "Labor or materials" shall include public utility services and reasonable rentals of equipment, but only for periods when the equipment rented is actually used at the site.
C. 
Discrimination in employment. All contracts executed by the Township or officer thereof, which involve the construction or doing of any work involving the employment of labor, shall contain a provision that the contractor shall accept and adhere to the provisions of the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: See 43 P.S. § 951 et seq.
D. 
Acceptance by contractor of Worker's Compensation Act. All contracts executed by the Township or officer thereof, which involve the employment of labor, shall contain a provision that the contractor shall accept, insofar as the work covered by any such contract is concerned, the provisions of the Pennsylvania Workers Compensation Act,[2] and the contractor will insure his liability thereunder or file with the Township with which the contract is made a certificate of exemption from insurance from the Bureau of Workmen's Compensation of the Department of Labor and Industry.
[2]
Editor's Note:hy See 77 P.S. § 1 et seq.
A. 
All disbursements, except those for petty cash, shall be by check drawn on the checking accounts of the Township. Each check shall be signed by the Finance Director or his designees and the Manager or his designees.
B. 
At the regular meeting of the Board in January of each year, the Manager may submit to the Board an annual bill list containing listings of regular expenses which the Township is expected to incur during the upcoming year. These expenses may include, but not be limited to, such items as payroll, payment over of salary deductions, electric power, telephone, natural gas, office supplies, fuel and similar routine operating and maintenance items. Upon a resolution of approval by the Board, the Manager may authorize payment on invoice for items in the categories contained on the annual bill list at any time during the year and after it has been determined that the invoiced goods and services have been properly received.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Former Subsection C, regarding invoices not contained on the annual bill list, was repealed 2-27-2012 by Ord. No. HR-393.
A. 
General. The Board may, by resolution, designate the Manager to sell, on behalf of the Township, excess or unneeded personal property of the Township.
[Amended 2-27-2012 by Ord. No. HR-393]
B. 
All sales of real or personal property estimated to have a value exceeding $2,000 shall be made only to the highest responsible bidder after receipt of one or more sealed or electronic bids received after notice. The bidding process may be that of electronic auction, on a site hosted by others or by the Township, or sealed bid. The Township Manager or designee must approve the use of a specific electronic site in writing. Notice shall be published at least once in one or more newspapers generally circulated in the Township between seven and 30 days before the date established for the opening of sealed offers. For sealed bids, each offer shall be accompanied by a certified check, bank cashier's or treasurer's check in an amount equal to but not less than 10% of the offer.
[Amended 4-20-2009 by Ord. No. HR-376; 2-27-2012 by Ord. No. HR-393]
C. 
The provision above requiring advertised sale to the highest bidder need not be applied by the Board where Township real or personal property is to be sold to a municipal authority, a school district, another municipality, the commonwealth or a nonprofit corporation engaged in community industrial development. In these cases, the Board or its designee may negotiate a sale price within guidelines established by the Board.
Department heads may prepare rules and regulations governing the operations of their respective departments. Any such regulations, except for those of the Department of Police, shall be reviewed by the Manager prior to becoming effective. The Manager shall maintain a central file of any department rules and regulations which may be in effect.
A. 
The Board shall appoint a Pennsylvania certified public accountant or accounting firm to provide an independent audit of Township receipts, expenditures, accounts and reports as required by § C-59 of the Charter.
B. 
The appointment may or may not be determined through competitive bidding as decided through affirmative action on a motion of the Board. The appointment shall be determined by a majority of the Board and the appointment may be on an annual basis or for a period not exceeding three years. The designation of the CPA or accounting firm for any particular fiscal year shall be made no later than 30 days after the beginning of that fiscal year.
[Amended 10-19-1998 by Ord. No. HR-278]
A. 
Those Township officials and employees so designated by the Manager shall give individual surety company bonds to the Township conditioned upon the faithful performance and discharge of their duties.
B. 
Any other officer or employee of the Township may be covered by a public employee's blanket bond, the amount and coverage to be determined by the Board on the advice of the Manager and the approval as to form by the Solicitor. The cost of all such blanket bonds shall be paid by the Township.
[Amended 10-19-1998 by Ord. No. HR-278]
The Board hereby adopts the provisions of the document entitled "Personnel Rules and Regulations, Tredyffrin Township, Chester County," dated January 5, 1976, as the personnel rules which are necessary to the administration of the Township's personnel system and which shall apply to all Township employees except those of the Department of Public Safety, which shall be prepared in accordance with § 4-11B of this code. Any future amendments to these personnel rules and regulations shall be made by resolution of the Board.
[Amended 10-19-1998 by Ord. No. HR-278]
The Board hereby adopts the provisions of the document entitled "Tredyffrin Township Accounting Manual." This contains a uniform classification of accounts and codes to be used and followed in all financial plans, budgets and financial reports. Any future amendments to the classification of accounts shall be made by resolution of the Board.