Government

Plum Borough is committed to open and participatory local government administration. This web page is designed to help you better understand the process of local government administration and to provide you with a centralized source of information and resources to enhance your access to Plum government.

Access to all meeting agenda and meeting minutes is now accessible via the links on the right of the page. In addition, new items are now available on line to view agenda material before council meetings, proposed resolutions and ordinances and other material to be discussed or debated at the next council meetings. Also, on these links are resources to help residents to better understand the laws regarding government administration and open government requirements. 

Your Government

All local Government in Pennsylvania is empowered and created by the Pennsylvania legislature. As a borough, Plum Borough and the structure of our local government is created by an act of the Pennsylvania General Assembly known as the Pennsylvania Borough Code. The Borough Code dictates the exact form of our local government and sets forth the rules by which the Borough may be governed. The Borough cannot create, enact or enforce any law unless it is expressly authorized by the General Assembly.

Borough Council consists of seven elected Council members, elected “at-large” from the Community. In order to be eligible to be elected to council, one must be a resident of the Borough for a minimum of one year prior to election. Council members serve four-year staggered terms; every two years, either three or four of the council members elected positions expire. The Mayor is also elected to a four-year term. In a Borough in Pennsylvania, the Mayor has only very limited voting authority. The Mayor only votes in the event of a tie vote on Council. The Mayor’s main role is to serve as the Chief Administrator of the Police Department.

Borough Council meets twice monthly on a regular basis. The first Monday of the month is the Work Session Meeting. The work session is advertised as a “public meeting” but not as a voting meeting. No official action (votes) of council can take place if it is not advertised as a public meeting. The purpose of the work session meeting is to establish the agenda for the “Regular Monthly meeting.” The Regular Monthly meeting (or business meeting) is a voting meeting which takes place every second Monday of the month. Borough Council is required to hold at least one business meeting per month for the purpose of conducting the general business of the Borough. Council must vote to approve all expenditures of Borough funds for the month and vote on any outstanding items which require legislative approval (contracts, agreements, resolutions, ordinances, employment issues and the annual budget). For a more thorough explanation of the roles of our community legislators and administrators, we encourage you to read these brief pamphlets: Borough Council Handbook and Mayor's Manual. 

Any and all official action or deliberation of Borough Council as a body must take place openly and publicly. And, the public must be given notice of all proposed action and also be given an opportunity to voice their opinions or concerns with respect to any proposed council actions. Official action can only be taken by a quorum of the Council. A quorum of the Plum Council would consist of at least four members. No official action can be taken unless a quorum exists and no public meeting can be held with less than a quorum. The rules governing legislative action are contained in the Pennsylvania Sunshine Law. The Sunshine law is meant to protect the rights of the citizens and to ensure open and fair government. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania maintains an office and staff created to assist citizens who have questions about their rights regarding open government. The PA Office of Open Records can be accessed here: PA Office Of Open Records.

We also encourage you to view this brief powerpoint presentation on the Sunshine Law in Pennsylvania as well the pamphlet on Open Meetings.

Council Values:

Commitment: An environment characterized by government officials who are willing to pledge themselves to a position or an issue.

Integrity: An organization with government officials who conduct themselves with distinguished moral and ethical character.

Accountability: An environment characterized by government officials who are willing to be responsible.

Achievement: A climate of goal-accomplishment, with government officials obtaining a successful ending in what they do

Scroll down to email a member of Council.