Article I.  Name 

The name of the Association shall be the Chester County Association of Township Officials. 

Article II.  Purpose of the Association 

The purpose of the Association shall be: 

Promoting excellence in local government by advocating, educating, and facilitating communications for the betterment and quality of life of the citizens of Chester County. 

Article III.  Membership 

Section 3.01        Elected Officials 

All individuals holding elected office in Chester County Townships of the Second Class or equivalent Home Rule and Optional Plan municipalities may be voting members of the Association. 

Section 3.02        Appointed Officials 

All appointed officials in the position of Manager, Secretary, and Treasurer may be voting members of the Association.  Township Engineers and Solicitors may be non-voting members of the Association. 

Section 3.03        Honorary Members 

Honorary membership may be conveyed on persons elected to that position at a convention of the Association.  Honorary membership is non-voting. 

Section 3.04        Associate Members 

Associate membership may be conveyed on such persons, organizations and municipalities by application and payment of dues.  Associate members will be non-voting. 

Section 3.05        Affiliate Members 

Affiliate membership may be conveyed on such persons and organizations by application, payment of dues and approval of the Executive Board. 

Section 3.06        Elected Officers 

Elected officers, with the exception of Secretary, must be voting members of the Association as defined in Article III Membership.  The President, Vice Presidents and Alternates shall be voting members as defined in Section 3.01 Elected Officials.  The Secretary is not required to be a member of the Association. 

Section 3.07        Dues 

Membership dues for municipalities shall be structured in tiers defined by population at the decennial census, is established by the Executive Board and presented at the Fall Business meeting in the budget submission.  The dues for all municipalities shall be based on the rate established within the tiered structure. 

No member may participate in Conventions and voting when their dues are unpaid for the current calendar year. 

Dues for other organizations and Affiliate members shall be defined by the Executive Board and approved by the voting members as part of the budget submission at the Fall Business meeting. 

Section 3.08        Membership Roster 

Member organizations shall provide a roster of all members defined in this Article to include mailing address, telephone and e-mail address. 

Article IV.  Officers and Executive Board 

The Executive Board of the Association is comprised of elected Officers and Board members.   

Section 4.01        Elected Officers 

(a)      President 
(b)      First Vice President 
(c)      Second Vice President 
(d)      Treasurer 
(e)      Secretary (Non-Voting Member) 

Section 4.02        Board Members 

There are five at large members of the Board. 

Section 4.03        Alternate Board Members 

There are two Alternate Board Members.  The Alternate Board members may become voting members when a quorum of voting members is not present and the presiding officer requests them to perform that duty. 

Section 4.04        Past President 

The past presidents shall be non-voting members of the Executive Board. 

Section 4.05        State Association Executive Board 

Any member of the Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors Executive Board who is a member as defined in Section 3.01 Elected Officials shall be a non-voting member of the Executive Board. 

Section 4.06        Vacancies 

Any vacancy will be filled by vote of the Executive Board.  The appointed person shall serve for the remainder of the calendar year.  The Nominating Committee shall place before the Fall Business meeting the name(s) of individuals to serve the remainder, if any, of the term. 

Section 4.07        Borough Representative 

The President-Elect shall in December appoint a Borough representative as a non-voting member of the Executive Board for the following calendar year. 

Section 4.08        Executive Director 

The Executive Board may appoint an Executive Director at compensation to be determined by Executive Board resolution, on an annual basis, with powers and duties to be determined by the Executive Board. 

Article V.  Election of Officers and Executive Board 

Section 5.01        Term of Office 

All candidates for President or Vice President must have served on the Executive Board and candidates for President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Board Member must be a voting member as defined in Section 3.01 — Elected Officials. 

(a)      President, Vice Presidents, and Treasurer – the term of office shall be one year and an individual may not hold more than four (4) consecutive terms. 

(b)      Secretary – One year term with no limit of the number of consecutive terms. 

(c)      Board Members – One three year term with no consecutive term.  If more than two vacancies occur in the same year the first two terms will be three years and the remaining terms two years. 

(d)      Alternate Board Members – One year term with no more than four (4) consecutive terms. 

All terms of office shall begin on January 1st of the calendar year following the election.  The term of office shall continue until successors are duly elected. 

Section 5.02        Voting 

Each dues-current Township shall select one (1) representative from their voting members defined in Section 3.01 and Section 3.02 and who must be present at the Fall Convention business meeting and may vote in any election or issue.  Voting by proxy is not allowed. 

Any contested election shall be by secret ballot. 

The Nominating Committee shall submit a slate of candidates for the available offices and delegates to the state convention.  Nominations may arise from the floor for any individual qualified for an office and who certifies in person or writing they will accept the duties and responsibilities of the office for which they are nominated. 

Article VI. Duties of Officers and the Executive Board 

Section 6.01        President 

The President shall be the executive head of the Association and exercise all the power and perform all the duties usually pertaining to the office.  He shall set the date(s) of and chair all meetings of the membership and the Executive Board.  The President shall appoint all members of committees as defined in Article VII Committees. 

Section 6.02        Vice Presidents 

The Vice President(s) in order of rank shall preside in the absence of the President. 

Section 6.03        Treasurer 

The Treasurer shall (1) properly care for the monies collected by the Association; (2) maintain the financial records of the Association; (3) prepare payments for all approved expenditures; (4) provide materials required by the Audit Committee; (5) assure optimal separation of duties for financial transactions; and, (6) present financial reports at each meeting of the Executive Board. 

Section 6.04        Secretary 

The Secretary shall be responsible for (1) the preparation of agenda as defined by the President; (2) the taking of and the preparation of written minutes of Executive Board and Business Meetings; (3) providing notifications to the membership; and (4) the filing of documents required by regulation or statute. 

Section 6.05        Executive Board 

(a)      The Executive Board shall have full charge of the affairs of the Association between meetings of the membership. 

(b)      The Executive Board shall annually adopt a budget for the Association and establish dues and fees. 

(c)      The Executive Board is responsible for the implementation of the policies established by resolution of the Association. 

(d)      The Executive Board shall cooperate and communicate with other municipal organizations. 

(e)      The Executive Board will maintain communications with County and State officials and the Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors. 

Article VII.    Committees 

The President-Elect shall define and appoint the members for each committee following the Fall Convention election and prior to January 1 of the next calendar year. 

Section 7.01        Standing Committees 

(a)      Auditing Committee 

Three (3) Members.  Annually the Auditing Committee shall review the accounts of the Association and present a report at the Spring Convention.  Members of the Auditing Committee shall be either members of the Association or Certified Public Accountants and not serving as an Officer or Board member of the Association. 

(b)      Nominating Committee 

Three (3) Members.  The Nominating Committee shall present to the Association the names of persons recommended, suitable and eligible to serve as Officers and Board Members for any position where the term expires at the end of the calendar year or a vacancy term is to be filled for the balance of a term.  Additionally, the Nominating Committee shall recommend one (1) delegate to the state convention for every ten townships or a fraction thereof.  The Nominating Committee shall not include Officers nor Board Members of the Association as voting members. 

(c)      Resolutions Committee 

Seven (7) Members.  The Resolutions Committee shall poll the member Townships for suggested Resolutions for approval by the membership.  The Committee may originate resolutions in addition to those submitted by townships.  The resolutions shall be presented to the voting member municipalities at least four (4) weeks prior to the Convention at which an approval vote will take place.  

Section 7.02        Ad Hoc Committees 

All Ad Hoc Committees shall have at least one member of the Executive Board as a participant and be authorized by the Executive Board. 

Article VIII. Meetings 

Section 8.01        Meetings of the Association 

A business meeting shall be held semi-annually at the time and place established by the Executive Board. 

Section 8.02        Quorum for Association Meetings 

A quorum is defined as representation from 35% of the dues-current member Townships. 

Section 8.03        Meetings of the Executive Board 

The Executive Board shall meet at least three times per year at a time and place set by the President or by the written request of three members of the Executive Board. 

Section 8.04        Quorum of the Executive Board 

Four (4) voting members of the Executive Board shall constitute a quorum.  Should a quorum not be present for a scheduled meeting the presiding officer may enable an Alternate Board Member to become a voting member for that meeting. 

Article IX.   Compensation 

Section 9.01        Secretary 

The Secretary may be compensated by the Association at a rate established by the Executive Board and such rate included in the annual budget. 

Section 9.02        Other Officers and Board Members 

Other Officers and Board Members of the Association shall not be compensated. 

Article X.   Rules of Order 

Section 10.01     Robert’s Rules of Order 

The rules of parliamentary procedure as laid down in Robert’s Rules of Order, as revised, shall govern all meetings of the Association. 

Article XI.       Amendments 

Section 11.01     Notice 

Proposed amendments to these bylaws shall be conveyed to the member Townships a minimum of four (4) weeks prior to the business meeting at which they will be considered. 

Section 11.02     Vote 

Amendments to these bylaws require a majority vote of the voting Township members present at the business meeting. 

Revision History: 

Adopted:       November 7, 2013 
Revised:       November 6, 2014 Section 9.01 
                        November 10, 2016 Sections 4.04 & 4.07 
                        November 21, 2019 Section 4.0