the municipal secretary desktop reference manual - Southwestern ...

Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code: A comprehensive law regulating the
adoption and implementation of zoning, subdivision control and other land use control
ordinances. The law applies to all units except the County/City of Philadelphia and the City
of Pittsburgh.
Personnel Records Act: Requires that a municipality give its employees reasonable access
to their personnel records.
Police and Firemen Collective Bargaining Act: Provides police and firefighters
employed by the Commonwealth or its subdivisions the right to collective bargaining;
prevents their striking.
Police Pensions Plan Act: Provides that each borough, town and township which
maintains a police force of three of more full time members shall establish a police pension
fund or pension annuity to provide the benefits required or authorized by the Act.
Police Tenure Act: Covers police employment in jurisdictions where no civil service laws
prevail, i.e. second class townships, boroughs, incorporated towns and first class townships
with less than three police officers. Deals with adverse employment actions, not hiring
regulations.
Prevailing Wage Act: Requires that the prevailing wage be paid to all workers under
public works contracts with estimated total project costs in excess of $25,000.
Public Contractors’ Law: Governs the awarding and contracting of public works contracts
in excess of $50,000 in total costs.
Public Employee Relations Act: Grants to public employees (other than police and
firefighters) the right to organize and bargain collectively; defines employer and union
unfair labor practices; administered by the Pa. Labor Relations Board.
Public Utility Realty Tax Act: While the State’s Constitution exempts property that is
owned by public utilities from municipally imposed real estate taxes, they are subject to a
State-imposed realty tax. The yield from this levy is distributed annually to all local taxing
units, provided appropriate forms are filed.
Sewage Facilities Act: Requires each municipality to develop a plan for the disposal of
sewage within the municipality and makes the municipality ultimately liable to insure
proper sewage disposal.
State Ethics Law: Establishes the State Ethics Commission to administer and enforce
provisions that “public office is a public trust and any effort to realize personal financial
gain through public office is a violation of that trust.”
Steel Products Procurement Act: All public contracts requiring steel for public works
maintenance, construction or repair, must specify the use of steel produced in the United
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