Pursuant to the provisions contained in 53 P.S. § 10201 of
the Municipalities Planning Code, and in order to carry the said provisions
into effect, a Township Planning Commission is hereby created.
The Township Planning Commission shall consist of five members who shall
be appointed by the Board of Supervisors and shall serve without compensation
but may be reimbursed for necessary expenses. The members shall hold no other
Township office except that of a member of Township Zoning Commission or the
Township Zoning Hearing Board. The members of the Planning Commission shall
be appointed on a staggered basis for terms of one, two, three, four, and
five years and each succeeding term shall be for a term of five years. An
appointment to fill a vacancy shall be only for the unexpired portion of the
term. The Board of Supervisors may, after a public hearing, remove any member
or members of the Planning Commission for inefficiency, neglect of duty or
malfeasance in office.
The Township Planning Commission shall elect its own Chairman and create
and fill such other offices as it may determine. The Commission may make and
alter rules for its procedure consistent with the ordinances of the Township
and the laws of the commonwealth. It shall keep a record of its resolutions,
transactions, findings and determinations, which record shall be a public
record.
The Board of Supervisors creating a Planning Commission shall appropriate
from the general Township fund, in the same manner as other appropriations
are made, such money as, in its opinion, is necessary and available for the
work of the Planning Commission for the year in which the appropriation is
made.
The Planning Commission may appoint such employees and staff as it may
deem necessary for its work and may contract with planners and other consultants
for such technical services as it may require, within the limits of the amount
appropriated for the purpose by the Board of Supervisors or placed at the
Commission's disposal from other sources.
As an aid to coordination of municipal planning and with the consent
of the Township Supervisors, the Planning Commission may enter into joint
agreements with County, regional or other planning agencies, covering cooperative
financing of planning, studies and such other cooperative relationships as
are necessary to attain the objectives of this article.
These and such other expenditures as may be necessary and proper shall
be within the amount appropriated for the purpose by the Board of Township
Supervisors or placed at the Commission's disposal from other sources.
The Planning Commission shall prepare and adopt a plan of development
for the Township. The plan, with accompanying maps, charts, drawings and descriptive
matter, shall show the Commission's recommendation for the development
of the Township.
The Board of Supervisors may establish as the official map of the Township
any part of the development plan with respect to the location and width of
streets, highways and parkways and the location and extent of public parks
and playgrounds.
The Planning Commission shall serve as the Zoning Commission and shall,
in pursuance of its duties, prepare or cause to be prepared a zoning ordinance
for consideration of the Board of Township Supervisors. The Commission shall
have the continuing responsibility to review the ordinance and make recommendations
as to proposed amendments.