[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Supervisors of the Township of Pine 9-21-1988 by Res. No. 327. Amendments noted where applicable.]
The Township Supervisors recognize that meetings conducted in accordance with Section 512 of the Second Class Township Code[1] require certain rules and regulations in order to ensure orderly transaction of public business, while allowing for sufficient time for input from Township citizens, taxpayers and interested parties.
[1]
Editor's Note: See 53 P.S. § 65101 et seq.
The presiding officer at each Township Supervisors' meeting shall be the Chairman of the Board of Supervisors of the Township of Pine, and all public meetings conducted by the Board of Supervisors shall be in accordance with the rules and regulations contained herein.
It shall be the policy of the Township Supervisors that participants in public meetings of the Township Supervisors shall be citizens or taxpayers of the Township or their counsel or authorized representatives. Others permitted to address the Supervisors include anyone having registered a legitimate interest in any contemplated action of the Supervisors, anyone representing a group in the community, any representative of a firm or company eligible to bid on materials or services solicited by the Township, any employee of the Township or the counsel or authorized representative of the previously described persons.
A. 
All persons wishing to be placed on the agenda for participation in a Township Supervisors' meeting shall register their intent in writing with the Township Secretary at least seven days in advance of the meeting, and such registration shall include the name and address of the participant, group affiliation, if applicable, and the topic to be addressed.
B. 
All participants in public meetings must be recognized by the presiding officer and must preface their comments by announcing name, address and group affiliation, if applicable.
C. 
No participant may speak more than once on the same topic unless all others who wish to speak on that topic have already been heard.
D. 
All statements by participants shall be directed to the presiding officer, and no such participant shall address or question Supervisors individually.
E. 
Unless otherwise permitted by the presiding officer, participants shall be limited to speak for a maximum of five minutes.
F. 
Unless otherwise permitted by the presiding officer, only those persons who have been placed on the public meeting agenda in accordance with these rules and regulations shall be permitted to participate in a meeting of the Township Supervisors, The presiding officer may, at his discretion, permit the participation of persons not on the agenda. Such participation by persons not on the agenda, if permitted by the presiding officer, shall be subject to all other provisions of these rules and regulations.
The presiding officer of the Township Supervisors shall have the authority, during such public meetings, to engage in the following:
A. 
To limit the time for each public participant to speak, where such is in the interest of allowing full public participation, in the interest of maintaining order or in the interest of moving a particular issue to a vote of the Supervisors.
B. 
To interrupt or terminate a participant's statement, when the statement is too lengthy, directed at a particular person, abusive, obscene, repetitive or irrelevant.
C. 
To request that any individual leave the meeting when that person does not observe reasonable decorum and to request the assistance of law enforcement officers in their removal of a disorderly person when that person's conduct interferes with the orderly progress of the meeting.
D. 
To call for a recess or an adjournment to another time when the lack of public decorum so interferes with the orderly conduct of the meeting so as to warrant such action.
E. 
To vary the placement of speakers throughout the meeting at his discretion.
The meeting agenda and all pertinent documents shall be available to the press and public at such public meetings and at least three days prior to the meeting at the Pine Township Municipal Building. The minutes and records of such meetings shall be available for review, in accordance with the dictates of Section 513 of the Second Class Township Code.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: See 53 P.S. § 65101 et seq.