PRINTER'S NO. 363
No. 319 Session of 1983
INTRODUCED BY SWEET, HOEFFEL, LASHINGER, D. R. WRIGHT, DAWIDA,
J. L. WRIGHT, FISCHER, AFFLERBACH, MORRIS, MICHLOVIC AND
VAN HORNE, MARCH 14, 1983
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT, MARCH 14, 1983
AN ACT
1 Amending the act of June 24, 1931 (P.L.1206, No.331), entitled
2 "An act concerning townships of the first class; amending,
3 revising, consolidating, and changing the law relating
4 thereto," further providing for voting on matters before the
5 board; and making an editorial change.
6 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
7 hereby enacts as follows:
8 Section 1. Section 701 of the act of June 24, 1931
9 (P.L.1206, No.331), known as The First Class Township Code,
10 reenacted and amended May 27, 1949 (P.L.1955, No.569) and
11 amended May 29, 1968 (P.L.131, No.69), is amended to read:
12 Section 701. Organization; Failure to Organize.--(a) The
13 township commissioners shall organize on the first Monday of
14 January of each even-numbered year. If the first Monday is a
15 legal holiday the meeting shall be held the first day following.
16 They shall assemble for such purpose at their place of meeting
17 at seven-thirty o'clock post meridian. Until otherwise
18 designated by ordinance, the place of meeting shall be the
19 oldest polling place in the township.
1 (b) The board shall organize by the election of one of their
2 number as president and one as a vice-president, who, as long as
3 they continue to be commissioners, shall hold office until their
4 successors are elected and qualified. The president, or, in his
5 absence, the vice-president, shall preside at all meetings of
6 the board, and perform such other duties as are specified in
7 this act or which may be prescribed by ordinance.
8 (c) If a majority of the commissioners shall not attend at
9 the organization meeting, those present may adjourn the meeting
10 from day to day until a majority attend.
11 (d) If the township commissioners of any township shall fail
12 to organize within ten days from the time prescribed by this
13 section, the [court of quarter sessions] court of common pleas,
14 upon the petition of ten registered electors, verified by the
15 affidavit of one of the petitioners, shall issue a rule upon the
16 delinquent commissioners to show cause why their seats should
17 not be declared vacant. The rule shall be returnable not less
18 than five days from the time of its issue, and after hearing,
19 the court may declare the seats of any delinquent vacant, and
20 appoint others in their stead to hold office for the respective
21 unexpired terms.
22 (e) The meeting under this section may be considered as a
23 regular monthly meeting for the transaction of such business as
24 comes before it. The first order of business at this meeting
25 shall be organization of the board. Any action taken or business
26 transacted other than organization of the commissioners as a
27 board at any organization meeting held prior to the effective
28 date of this amending act, which is invalid for the reason that
29 the action was taken or business transacted at an organization
30 meeting, is hereby validated and confirmed. Voting on matters
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1 before the board shall be taken at a public meeting and shall be
2 duly recorded, showing how each member voted.
3 Section 2. This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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