Section 8. It shall be the duty of the town council of each borough hereafter incorporated, four of whom including the burgess, if present, shall be a quorum, to meet at such times and places as by the by-laws and ordinances of said borough shall be appointed; at which meetings they may enact, revise, repeal and amend all such by-laws, rules, regulations and ordinances as shall be determined by a majority of them necessary to promote the peace, good order, benefit and advantage of said borough; they shall also have power to regulate, improve, repair and keep in order the roads, streets, lanes, alleys and other public grounds, wharves or landings within said borough; but nothing herein contained shall be construed to give to the town council aforesaid authority to lay out any road, street, lane or alley within the borough limits; but such authority shall be vested in the court of Quarter Sessions of the proper county, under the general road laws of the Commonwealth. They shall also have power to assess, apportion and appropriate such taxes as shall be determined by a majority of them necessary for carrying the said rules and ordinances from time to time into complete effect; and also to appoint a town clerk, treasurer, two persons to act as street commissioners and a collector annually, and such other officers as may be deemed necessary from time to time, and the same officers from time to time to remove; and the meetings of said town council shall be held at such times and places as the majority of them may appoint, and the burgess shall be president of the town council and shall have and exercise all the rights and privileges of a member thereof; but in the case of the absence of the burgess, the members present may elect one of their number to preside for the time being: Provided, That no bylaw, rule or ordinance of said corporation shall be repugnant to the constitution or laws of the United States or of this Commonwealth, and that no person shall be punished for the violation of a by-law or ordinance made as aforesaid, until ten days have expired after the promulgation thereof by at least four advertisements set up in the most public places in said borough: And provided also, That in assessing such tax, due regard shall be had to the valuation of taxable property taken for the purpose of raising county rates and levies, and that the said tax shall not in any year exceed one half cent in the dollar of such valuation, unless some object of general utility shall be thought necessary, in which case a majority of the taxable inhabitants of said borough shall approve of and certify the same in writing under their hands to the town council, who shall proceed to assess the same accordingly.
Compiler's Note: Section 28 of Act 207 of 2004 provided that any and all references in any other law to a "district justice" or "justice of the peace" shall be deemed to be references to a magisterial district judge.
Compiler's Note: Section 1301(b) of Act 192 of 1915 provided that section eight is repealed except in so far as it relates to assessors, constables, elections, justices of the peace, overseers of the poor, school directors, or taxation.