The legislative power of the County shall be vested in a County Council. The County Council shall possess all of the powers and authority set forth in Article IV, § 1.4-402, of the Home Rule Charter.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: The Charter is included at the beginning of this volume.
The County Council shall be made up of 15 members, of whom 13 members shall be elected from districts established throughout the County, and two members from the County at-large.
[Amended 3-6-2012 by Ord. No. 4-12]
A. 
The County Council districts shall be as follows:
(1) 
District No. 1: Aleppo Township, Ben Avon Borough, Ben Avon Heights Borough, Coraopolis Borough, Emsworth Borough, Findlay Township, Glenfield Borough, Glen Osborne Borough, Haysville Borough, Kilbuck Township, Moon Township, North Fayette Township, Ross Township, and West View Borough.
(2) 
District No. 2: Bell Acres Borough, Bradford Woods Borough, Crescent Township, Edgeworth Borough, Franklin Park Borough, Leet Township, Leetsdale Borough, Marshall Township, McCandless Township, Ohio Township, Pine Township, Richland Township, Sewickley Borough, Sewickley Heights Borough and Sewickley Hills Borough.
(3) 
District No. 3: Aspinwall Borough, Etna Borough, Fox Chapel Borough, Hampton Township, Indiana Township, Millvale Borough, O'Hara Township, Reserve Township, Shaler Township, Sharpsburg Borough and West Deer Township.
(4) 
District No. 4: Avalon Borough, Carnegie Borough, Collier Township, Crafton Borough, Heidelberg Borough, Kennedy Township, McDonald Borough, McKees Rocks Borough, Neville Township, Oakdale Borough, Pennsbury Village Borough, Robinson Township, Scott Township, South Fayette Township, Stowe Township and Thornburg Borough.
(5) 
District No. 5: Bethel Park Municipality, Bridgeville Borough, Mount Lebanon Township and Upper St. Clair Township.
(6) 
District No. 6: Baldwin Borough, Baldwin Township, Brentwood Borough, Castle Shannon Borough, Clairton City, Elizabeth Borough, Jefferson Hills Borough, Pleasant Hills Borough, South Park Township, West Elizabeth Borough, Whitehall Borough.
(7) 
District No. 7: Blawnox Borough, Brackenridge Borough, Cheswick Borough, Churchill Borough, East Deer Township, Fawn Township, Frazer Township, Harmar Township, Harrison Township, Oakmont Borough, Penn Hills Township, Springdale Borough, Springdale Township, Tarentum Borough, Verona Borough, Wilkins Township.
(8) 
District No. 8: Braddock Borough, Braddock Hills Borough, Chalfant Borough, East McKeesport Borough, East Pittsburgh Borough, Edgewood Borough, Monroeville Municipality, North Braddock Borough, Pitcairn Borough, Plum Borough, Rankin Borough, Swissvale Borough, Trafford Borough, Turtle Creek Borough, Wall Borough, Whitaker Borough and Wilmerding Borough.
(9) 
District No. 9: Dravosburg Borough, Duquesne City, Elizabeth Township, Forward Township, Glassport Borough, Liberty Borough, Lincoln Borough, McKeesport City, North Versailles Township, Port Vue Borough, South Versailles Township, Versailles Borough, West Mifflin Borough and White Oak Borough.
(10) 
District No. 10: City of Pittsburgh Wards 3, 4, 5, 8, 11, 12 and 13, Forest Hills Borough and Wilkinsburg Borough.
(11) 
District No. 11: Homestead Borough, Munhall Borough, City of Pittsburgh Wards 7, 14, 15, 16, 31 and West Homestead Borough.
(12) 
District No. 12: Dormont Borough, Green Tree Borough, Ingram Borough, Mount Oliver Borough, Pittsburgh Wards 19, 20, 28, 29, 30 and 32 and Rosslyn Farms Borough.
(13) 
District No. 13: Bellevue Borough and City of Pittsburgh Wards 1, 2, 6, 9, 10, 17, 18, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26 and 27.
B. 
Reapportionment of Council districts. It shall be the mandatory duty of Council to reapportion the County Council districts within one year after the official and final publication of the population of the County by the United States Bureau of the Census at each decennial census. The reapportionment of the council districts shall be done in the following manner: Each district shall be composed of compact and contiguous territories as nearly equal in population as practicable as officially reported in the federal census. Unless absolutely necessary, no city, borough, township or ward shall be divided in forming council districts. No city block shall be divided into more than one district. A municipality shall be divided into as few County Council districts as possible. The number of wards whose territory is divided into more than one Council district shall be as small as possible. The aggregate length of all Council district boundaries shall be as short as reasonably practicable. No "election district," as that term is defined in the Pennsylvania Election Code,[1] shall be divided into more than one district. At the expiration of the one-year period, if Council shall have failed to reapportion the Council districts, then the reapportionment shall be conducted in accordance with the provisions of the Pennsylvania Municipal Reapportionment Act, 53 Pa.C.S.A. § 901 et seq. If the mandatory reapportionment results in a County Council member being placed out of the district from which he was elected, then the County Council member shall be permitted to complete his term of office.
[1]
Editor's Note: See 25 P.S. § 2641.
A. 
Initial term of office; Council members elected by district.
(1) 
The following County Council Members shall be elected at the general municipal election in the year 1999 and shall serve an initial term of office for two years beginning on the first business day of January of the year 2000: Districts 1, 3, 4, 8, 9, 12.
(2) 
The following County Council Members shall be elected at the general municipal election in the year 1999 and shall serve an initial term of office for four years beginning on the first business day of January of the year 2000: Districts 2, 5, 6, 7, 10, 11, 13 and Council members elected at-large.
(3) 
After the initial terms of office as noted above, the term of office for a Member of County Council shall be four years commencing on the first business day of January following the general municipal election, except for the filling of unexpired terms in which case the term shall commence upon the swearing in of the County Council member.
All members of County Council shall be a citizen of the United States of America, shall be a resident of the County for at least one year prior to election to office, shall be at least 18 years of age when elected to office, and shall remain a voter of the County during their term of office. County Council members elected by district, in addition to fulfilling the qualifications set forth above, shall be and shall remain residents of the district from which they have been elected. If, however, reapportionment results in a district County Council member being placed out of the district from which the member was elected, the member shall be permitted to complete the term.
A. 
County Council members shall not be a candidate for nomination or election to any elected public office other than that of County Council without having first resigned as a member of Council.
B. 
County Council members shall not hold any other elected public office and, except as specifically allowed by the Charter,[1] shall not receive any salary, stipend or other compensation from the County or any County authority.
[1]
Editor's Note: The Charter is included at the beginning of this volume.
A. 
The oath to be taken by any person holding the office of member of County Council shall be as follows:
I, ______(name)_______, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of Member of Council of the County of Allegheny, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, defend and obey the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution and laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. (So help me God).
B. 
The foregoing oath of office shall be administered by any person authorized to administer oaths.
[Amended 1-18-2005 by Ord. No. 03-05]
If a County Council seat becomes vacant due to death, resignation, forfeiture of office or failure to assume office after election within 30 days after the scheduled commencement of the term, the other members of County Council shall appoint an interim County Council member within 30 days. The interim County Council member shall be qualified under the Home Rule Charter to be elected to such office and shall have the same political party affiliation as the former County Council member or, in the case of a seat held by a person of no political party affiliation, shall have no political party affiliation. If a seat was held by a person having a political party affiliation, nomination of the individual to serve as interim County Council member shall be made only by the Caucus Chair of that political party. The interim County Council member shall hold the vacated seat in accordance with the provisions of Subsection B, of Article III, § 1.3-309, of the Charter. In the event that County Council is unwilling or unable, for any reason whatsoever, to fill any vacancy within 30 days after the vacancy occurs, then the Court of Common Pleas, upon petition of 100 registered voters of the same political party and district as the former County Council member or, in the case of an at-large vacancy, the petition of 100 registered electors of the County and same political party, shall fill the vacancy.
A. 
County Council members shall not receive a salary.
B. 
County Council shall establish by resolution, a per meeting stipend to be received by County Council members not to exceed the aggregate $9,000 annually per member.
C. 
County Council members shall not be entitled to receive any indirect compensation for their services as County Council member. Such indirect compensation shall include funding for personal staff, local district offices or fringe benefits such as health and life insurance, pensions and personal motor vehicles.
D. 
Members of County Council shall be entitled to reimbursement for actual and necessary expenses incurred; provided, however, that the expenditure:
(1) 
Is related to the performance of official duties including, but not limited to, business related meals, parking, mileage, and costs related to the distribution to constituents of information regarding Council business;
(2) 
Is submitted prior to payment with such detail as may be required by established County fiscal management policies; and
(3) 
Shall not exceed $3,000 per County Council member per year.
A member of County Council shall forfeit office if, during the term of office, the other 2/3 seated members of Council determine that the member:
A. 
Lacks any qualification prescribed by law or by the Charter;
B. 
Has been convicted of embezzlement of public monies, bribery, perjury or other infamous crimes;
C. 
Has been found to be incapacitated by an appropriate Court; or
D. 
Has failed to perform the duties of office as required by law, ordinance, or the Charter for a period of 60 consecutive days unless detained by sickness or prevented by necessary absence from the County. No such office shall be declared forfeited for failure to perform required duties until the member shall have been given a hearing before the other seated members of County Council, at which time the member of Council may show cause why he should not forfeit office.