Franconia Township shall join with the Municipalities of Telford and
Souderton Boroughs and Salford, Upper Salford and Lower Salford Townships
to create the Indian Valley Regional Planning Commission as per the guidelines
set forth under Section 1102 of the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code,
Act 247 of July 31, 1968, as reenacted and amended. Each participating municipality shall appoint two members. The
term of each member shall be two years; however, initially each municipality
shall appoint one member for a one-year term and a second member for a two-year
term so that the term of membership of the members appointed by the individual
municipalities shall be on a staggered basis. Qualification of members, the
removal of members, the conduct of business, etc., shall be governed by Article
II and Article XI of the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code.
The Indian Valley Regional Planning Commission shall have the responsibility
to prepare a Joint Municipal Comprehensive Plan. To this end, the powers and
duties of the Commission are as follows:
A. To prepare a Joint Municipal Comprehensive Plan pursuant
to Article III and Article XI of the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning
Code.
B. In the preparation of the Joint Municipal Comprehensive
Plan, the members of the Commission shall represent the interests of their
respective municipalities and shall cast one vote per municipality on all
matters that require action.
C. Any vote taken by Commission members pertaining to regional
planning and regional zoning must be unanimous for it to pass. All other non-planning-and-zoning-related
matters may be approved by simple majority.
D. Upon completion of the Joint Municipal Comprehensive
Plan by the Commission, and its adoption by all the participating municipalities,
the Commission may be instructed by the participating municipalities to prepare
a Joint Municipal Zoning Ordinance and Zoning Map which shall be presented
to the participating municipalities for their consideration and adoption.
E. If so directed by the participating municipalities to
develop a Regional Zoning Ordinance and Zoning Map, the Regional Zoning Ordinance
and Zoning Map shall be prepared pursuant to Article VI and Article VIII-A
of the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code.
F. Should joint municipal zoning be formally adopted by
the participating municipalities, the Regional Planning Commission shall review
all proposed changes to the Joint Municipal Zoning Ordinance and Zoning Map
and shall make a formal recommendation to the participating municipalities
regarding said change. The recommendation of the Commission shall be advisory
only.
Each municipality shall retain its own municipal Planning Commission
and Zoning Hearing Board. The participating municipalities agree that for
all matters relating to lot line changes, subdivisions, land developments,
variances, special exceptions and conditional uses, or any other matter of
a planning or zoning nature in which jurisdiction resides within the governing
body of a municipality, shall not be a joint planning or joint zoning activity.
[Amended 7-18-2005 by Ord. No. 334]
That certain agreement entitled “Indian Valley Intergovernmental
Cooperative Implementation Agreement,” prepared for the municipalities
of Souderton Borough, Telford Borough, Franconia Township, Lower Salford Township,
Salford Township and Upper Salford Township, draft dated May 17, 2005, is
hereby adopted by the Franconia Township Board of Supervisors as the Implementation
Agreement for the Indian Valley Regional Planning Commission and the Indian
Valley Regional Comprehensive Plan. Any amendments to the Indian Valley Intergovernmental
Cooperative Implementation Agreement shall be by unanimous consent of all
member municipalities.
This chapter shall be effective upon its enactment by all the participating
municipalities.