SENATE AMENDED
PRIOR PRINTER'S NO. 577 PRINTER'S NO. 2765
No. 520 Session of 1991
INTRODUCED BY GAMBLE, FOSTER, DeLUCA, MELIO, HALUSKA, BROUJOS,
LAUGHLIN AND PESCI, MARCH 11, 1991
SENATOR PECORA, LOCAL GOVERNMENT, IN SENATE, AS AMENDED,
NOVEMBER 19, 1991
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 the time for holding
5 organizational meetings AND FOR COMPENSATION OF TOWNSHIP <--
6 COMMISSIONERS.
7 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
8 hereby enacts as follows:
9 Section 1. Section 701 of the act of June 24, 1931
10 (P.L.1206, No.331), known as The First Class Township Code,
11 reenacted and amended May 27, 1949 (P.L.1955, No.569) and
12 amended May 29, 1968 (P.L.131, No.69), is amended to read:
13 Section 701. Organization; Failure to Organize.--The
14 township commissioners shall organize on the first Monday of
15 January of each even-numbered year. If the first Monday is a
16 legal holiday the meeting shall be held the first day following.
17 They shall assemble for such purpose at their place of meeting
18 at [seven-thirty o'clock post meridian] a time convenient to the
1 governing body. Until otherwise designated by ordinance, the
2 place of meeting shall be the oldest polling place in the
3 township.
4 The board shall organize by the election of one of their
5 number as president and one as a vice-president, who, as long as
6 they continue to be commissioners, shall hold office until their
7 successors are elected and qualified. The president, or, in his
8 absence, the vice-president, shall preside at all meetings of
9 the board, and perform such other duties as are specified in
10 this act or which may be prescribed by ordinance.
11 If a majority of the commissioners shall not attend at the
12 organization meeting, those present may adjourn the meeting from
13 day to day until a majority attend.
14 If the township commissioners of any township shall fail to
15 organize within ten days from the time prescribed by this
16 section, the court of quarter sessions, upon the petition of ten
17 registered electors, verified by the affidavit of one of the
18 petitioners, shall issue a rule upon the delinquent
19 commissioners to show cause why their seats should not be
20 declared vacant. The rule shall be returnable not less than five
21 days from the time of its issue, and after hearing, the court
22 may declare the seats of any delinquent vacant, and appoint
23 others in their stead to hold office for the respective
24 unexpired terms.
25 The meeting under this section may be considered as a regular
26 monthly meeting for the transaction of such business as comes
27 before it. The first order of business at this meeting shall be
28 organization of the board. Any action taken or business
29 transacted other than organization of the commissioners as a
30 board at any organization meeting held prior to the effective
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1 date of this amending act, which is invalid for the reason that
2 the action was taken or business transacted at an organization
3 meeting, is hereby validated and confirmed.
4 SECTION 2. SECTION 703 OF THE ACT, AMENDED OCTOBER 31, 1985 <--
5 (P.L.296, NO.69), IS AMENDED TO READ:
6 SECTION 703. COMPENSATION.--EACH TOWNSHIP COMMISSIONER MAY
7 RECEIVE A SALARY, ESTABLISHED BY ORDINANCE, OF NOT MORE THAN
8 FIFTEEN HUNDRED DOLLARS PER YEAR IN TOWNSHIPS HAVING A
9 POPULATION OF LESS THAN FIVE THOUSAND, NOT MORE THAN TWO
10 THOUSAND DOLLARS PER YEAR IN TOWNSHIPS HAVING A POPULATION OF
11 FIVE THOUSAND OR MORE BUT LESS THAN TEN THOUSAND, NOT MORE THAN
12 TWENTY-SIX HUNDRED DOLLARS PER YEAR IN TOWNSHIPS HAVING A
13 POPULATION OF TEN THOUSAND OR MORE BUT LESS THAN FIFTEEN
14 THOUSAND, NOT MORE THAN THIRTY-THREE HUNDRED DOLLARS PER YEAR IN
15 TOWNSHIPS HAVING A POPULATION OF FIFTEEN THOUSAND OR MORE BUT
16 LESS THAN TWENTY-FIVE THOUSAND, NOT MORE THAN THIRTY-FIVE
17 HUNDRED DOLLARS PER YEAR IN TOWNSHIPS HAVING A POPULATION OF
18 TWENTY-FIVE THOUSAND OR MORE BUT LESS THAN THIRTY-FIVE THOUSAND,
19 AND NOT MORE THAN FOUR THOUSAND DOLLARS PER YEAR IN TOWNSHIPS
20 HAVING A POPULATION OF THIRTY-FIVE THOUSAND OR MORE. SUCH
21 SALARIES SHALL BE PAYABLE MONTHLY OR QUARTERLY FOR THE DUTIES
22 IMPOSED BY THE PROVISIONS OF THIS ACT. THE POPULATION SHALL BE
23 DETERMINED BY THE LATEST AVAILABLE OFFICIAL CENSUS FIGURES,
24 EXCEPT THAT NO TOWNSHIP SHALL BE REQUIRED TO REDUCE THE SALARY
25 OF A COMMISSIONER AS A RESULT OF A DECREASE IN POPULATION.
26 Section 2 3. This act shall take effect immediately. <--
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