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Home Rule Charter

 

Home Government

Home Rule Charter

Braddock Borough Government Study Commission: Home Rule Charter

What is the purpose of Home Rule?
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s Constitution, as amended, in 1968 included a provision that mandated that the General Assembly act to authorize home rule for Pennsylvania municipal governments. Act 62— The Home Rule Charter and Optional Plans Law was formally enacted in 1972.

The procedure to draft and adopt a local constitution is comparable to that undertaken at the state and federal levels of government. Under Act 62 local citizens create a structure of government through which the local elected and appointed officials are best able to respond to citizen needs and expectations and provide services and programs to the community. The charter is crafted within limitations set by the Pennsylvania Constitution and general statutory laws that apply to all municipalities.

Braddock Borough, as a home rule charter community, would no longer be wholly subject to the provisions of the current Borough Code. Instead, the borough code would only apply in instances where the home rule charter, administrative code and/or adopted policies and procedures are silent.

The home rule study and charter development processes required voter approval of a referendum to initiate a study of home rule and elect a 7-member home rule study commission. If the government study commission recommends a home rule charter, local voters then must approve the charter before it can take effect. Generally, the home rule process exists as an opportunity for a municipality to address issues that are not addressed or ineffectively addressed by the local government’s existing municipal code.

To view the full document, please see the downloadable documents section below. Downloadable Documents:
Braddock Home Rule Charter.pdf (3.89 MB)

Glenn Terry Jr.

Borough Manager

braddockmanager@comcast.net