Title 8, BOROUGHS AND INCORPORATED TOWNS

(a) General rule.--A borough may provide, by ordinance, to appointees and employees of not less than ten years of satisfactory service and who are not less than 60 years of age upon termination of active employment with the borough, a proportion of the compensation last paid to t…

(a) Required membership.--The following employees of municipal authorities shall be members of the borough retirement system upon a written election as provided in this section: (1) An employee of a wastewater authority created by a borough and one or more townships under 53 Pa.C…

(a) General rule.--The borough treasurer shall, before entering upon the duties of office, give bond in an amount determined by council, conditioned for the faithful performance of the treasurer's duties. (b) Specific duties.--The treasurer shall: (1) Receive all money due the bo…

A council may, by resolution, appoint an assistant treasurer who may not be a member of the council. Council may appoint the assistant treasurer as the assistant secretary if the assistant treasurer is not a member of council. The assistant treasurer shall assist the treasurer in…

(a) Attendance at meetings and maintenance of minutes.--The secretary shall attend all meetings of the council and shall maintain full minutes of its proceedings. (b) Other duties.--The secretary shall: (1) Record or transcribe the bylaws, rules, regulations, resolutions and ordi…

A council may, by resolution, appoint an assistant secretary. The assistant secretary shall assist the secretary in the performance of the secretary's duties and, in case of absence or disability of the secretary, perform the duties and may exercise the powers of the secretary. T…

The fiscal records and documents and the minute book and other records and documents of every borough shall be open in accordance with the act of February 14, 2008 (P.L.6, No.3), known as the Right-to-Know Law.

The legal matters of the borough shall be under the control of the borough solicitor. No department or officer of the borough, except as otherwise provided by law, shall employ an additional counsel without the assent or ratification of the council. The borough solicitor must be …

(a) General rule.--The borough solicitor shall: (1) Prepare or approve, if directed or requested to do so by council or the mayor, any bonds, obligations, contracts, leases, conveyances, ordinances and assurances to which the borough or any department of the borough may be a part…

A council may, by resolution, appoint an assistant solicitor to assist the solicitor in the performance of the solicitor's duties and, in the absence or disability of the solicitor, to perform the duties and exercise the powers of the solicitor.

(a) Establishment of police department.--Council may, by ordinance, establish a police department. If council establishes a police department, the following shall apply: (1) Council may appoint police officers, subject to Subchapter J (relating to civil service for police and fir…

(a) General rule.--If a borough enters into a cooperative agreement or contract with any municipal corporation, regional police force or other governmental entity created by two or more municipal corporations under 53 Pa.C.S. Ch. 23 Subch. A (relating to intergovernmental coopera…

Borough police officers shall wear a shield or badge with the word "Police" when on duty.

(a) General rule.--The mayor shall have full charge and control of the chief of police and the police force. (b) Direction.--The mayor shall direct the time during which, the place where and the manner in which the chief of police and the police force perform the duties of their …

(a) General rule.--In addition to the powers of council to suspend police officers, the mayor may, for cause and without pay, suspend any police officers until the succeeding regular meeting of the council at which time or later the council may, subject to Subchapter J (relating …

Borough police and special police appointed by the mayor shall receive compensation as fixed by the council.

(a) Appointment.-- (1) Upon request by the board of school directors of the school district in which a borough is wholly or partially located, the council may appoint school crossing guards who shall have the duty of controlling and directing traffic and pedestrians at or near sc…

(a) Authorization to establish.--If a police force of less than three full-time members is being maintained, the borough may, unless there is a private organization or association constituting and managing an existing pension fund for the members of the police force in the boroug…

(a) General rule.--If there is a private organization or association constituting and managing an existing pension fund for the members of the police force in any borough, the borough shall establish a police pension for the purpose of paying pensions to the members of its police…

(a) General rule.--The council of a borough may, at its discretion at any time, create by ordinance the office of borough manager and may, in like manner, abolish the office. While the office exists, the council shall, from time to time, and if there is a vacancy, elect, by a vot…

(a) General rule.--The powers and duties of the borough manager shall be regulated by ordinance. (b) Employment or professional services agreement.-- (1) Council may enter into an employment or professional services agreement with the borough manager that specifies the terms and …

(a) General rule.--The offices of borough manager, street commissioner, secretary, treasurer and chief of police shall not be incompatible, and any two or more or all of the offices may be held by one person. Neither the mayor nor any member of the council shall be eligible to ho…

The following words and phrases when used in this subchapter shall have the meanings given to them in this section unless the context clearly indicates otherwise: "Fire apparatus operator." A person who operates fire apparatus and devotes his normal working hours to operating any…

(a) Nonapplicability of subchapter.--This subchapter shall not apply to: (1) a borough that has a police force of less than three members; (2) a borough that has a police force of three or more members if those members in excess of two are appointed on a temporary basis through a…

(a) Establishment.--A civil service commission is established in each borough where a police force or paid fire apparatus operators are maintained. (b) Membership and terms.--The commission shall consist of three commissioners who shall be qualified electors of the borough and ap…

No commissioner shall at the same time hold an elective or appointed office under the Federal Government, this Commonwealth or any political subdivision of the Commonwealth, except that one member of the commission may be a member of the council and one may be a member of the tea…

(a) General rule.--The commission first appointed shall organize within ten days of its appointment and shall elect one of its members as the chair and one as the secretary. Thereafter, the commission shall meet and organize within 30 days of the first Monday of each even-numbere…

The borough shall: (1) Furnish to the commission, on its requisition, clerical assistance that may be necessary for the work of the commission. (2) Provide a suitable and convenient room for the use of the commission. The commission shall order from the borough the necessary stat…

(a) General rule.--The commission may prescribe, amend and enforce rules and regulations for carrying into effect this subchapter and shall be governed by the rules and regulations. Before the effective date of the rules and regulations or amendments to them, they shall be first …

The commission shall maintain minutes of its proceedings and records of examinations and other official actions. All recommendations of applicants for appointment received by the commission shall be kept and preserved for a period of five years, and all records and all written ca…

The commission may conduct investigations concerning all matters touching the administration and enforcement of this subchapter and rules and regulations adopted under this subchapter. The chair of the commission may administer oaths and affirmations in connection with the invest…

(a) General rule.--The commission may issue subpoenas over the signature of the chair to require the attendance of witnesses and the production of records and papers pertaining to any investigation or inquiry. The fees of witnesses for attendance and travel shall be the same as f…

The commission shall make an annual report to the council containing a brief summary of its work during the year which shall be available for public inspection.

(a) Rules and regulations.-- (1) The commission shall make rules and regulations, to be approved as provided in section 1176 (relating to rules and regulations), providing for the examination of applicants for positions in the police force and as paid fire apparatus operators and…

A person who desires to apply for examination must file with the commission a formal application in which the applicant shall provide, under oath or affirmation, the following information: (1) Full name and residence or post office address. (2) Citizenship and place and date of b…

(a) General rule.--The commission may refuse to examine or, if examined, may refuse to certify after examination as eligible any applicant who: (1) is found to lack any of the minimum qualifications for examination prescribed in the rules and regulations adopted for the position …

(a) Ranking of candidates.-- (1) At the completion of the testing process, including a physical agility or other examination, with the exception of a background investigation to be conducted after the establishment of an eligibility list and physical and psychological medical exa…

No person shall be eligible to apply for examination unless the person is at least 18 years of age at the date of application. An applicant need not be a resident of the borough. The council of the borough may authorize the commission, by rule or regulation, to require police off…

(a) General rule.--An original appointment to a position in the police force or as a paid fire apparatus operator shall be for a probationary period of not less than six months and not more than one year, but during the probationary period an appointee may be dismissed only for a…

(a) General rule.--If there are urgent reasons for the filling of a vacancy in a position in the police force and there are no names on the eligibility list for the appointment, the council may nominate a person to the commission for noncompetitive examination, and, if the nomine…

(a) General rule.--A promotion shall be based on merit to be ascertained by an examination to be prescribed by the commission. All questions relative to a promotion shall be practical in character and fairly test the merit and fitness of persons seeking promotion. (b) Notificatio…

(a) Conditional offer of employment.-- (1) An applicant selected from the eligibility list shall receive a conditional offer of employment. The offer of employment shall be conditioned upon the conditional appointee undergoing a physical and psychological medical examination and …

(a) General rule.--No person employed in any police or fire force of any borough may be suspended without pay, removed or reduced in rank except for the following reasons: (1) Physical or mental disability affecting the person's ability to continue in service, in which case the p…

(a) Time of answer and hearing.--A person suspended, removed or reduced in rank may make written answers to any charges filed against the person not later than the day scheduled for the hearing. The commission shall grant the person a hearing that shall be held within a period of…

All appointments in the police or fire forces of boroughs, including the chief of police or equivalent official, prior to the creation of a commission, shall continue to hold their positions and shall not be required to take any examination under the provisions of this subchapter…

(a) Information.--No question in any form of application for examination or in any examination shall be so framed as to elicit information concerning the political or religious opinions or affiliations of any applicant nor shall inquiry be made concerning the opinions or affiliat…