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Spring 2001 Newsletter

 

Board of Supervisors Governed by Second Class Township Code and the Municipalities Planning Code

 

Have you ever been stuck in traffic or seen an unpleasant looking building and wondered, how or why did they (the local town) “let them do that?”

 

The “do that” may have been the erection of a sign, the approval of a new home,  housing development or creation of a business.

 

Contrary to common belief the elected officials of a municipality, township or borough, are not permitted to govern freely as they wish. Within  the frame work of the constitution, all local governments  (townships, boroughs and cities) derive their authority from the state.

 

East Rockhill Township is governed by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s Second Class Township Code and the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code.

 

These codes mandate the methods by which the Board may perform such activities such as forming boards and commissions, spending monies, approving subdivisions, and regulating development and traffic. Local governing bodies may only function within the frame work established by the state legislature.

 

The next time you experience that frustrating moment or fail to understand the logic of a decision, it may well be the best response to contact your local state representative or congressman and ask them, why they “let them do that?”