A. Charter enforcement powers. The Board shall have the following powers and duties with respect to Charter enforcement. It shall:
(1) Serve as an administrative body to hear and decide all complaints alleging violations of the Charter and Administrative Code, except that its jurisdiction shall not extend to cases arising under the Ethics Code or the Personnel Code of the City of Reading.
(2) Impose penalties and administrative fines for failure to comply with an order of the Charter Board. The Board may also refer matters to law enforcement, regulatory, or other authorities with jurisdiction over these matters.
(3) Initiate preliminary investigations on its own motion. In the event that the Board approves an investigation it shall direct the Investigative Officer to conduct a preliminary investigation and the Investigative Officer shall have standing to initiate proceedings in the Court of Common Pleas to enforce the Charter if the Investigative Officer reasonably believes a Charter Board violation exists. Board-initiated investigations shall not be heard by the Board itself.
(4) Appoint an Investigative Officer to conduct investigations and to issue findings reports where appropriate.
(5) Hold hearings, issue subpoenas and compel the attendance of witnesses, administer oaths, take testimony, require evidence on any matter under investigation before the Board, and issue orders rendering a final determination on the Charter violations alleged in the complaint and issue penalties for failure to comply with any order or final determination of the Charter Board.
(6) Adopt rules and regulations to administer, implement, enforce and interpret the Board ordinance.
(7) Have all other powers necessary and appropriate to effectuate the purposes set forth herein and in Amendment I of the Charter.
B. Charter advisory powers. Upon written request of any board or commission that does not have its own independent legal counsel or a City Employee or City Official who has a reasonable and good faith belief that the Solicitor or Council Solicitor has a conflict of interest, the Board may authorize the Board Solicitor to render advisory opinions concerning interpretation of the Charter or Administrative Code related to a potential or proposed course of action or pending decision involving the requester. All advisory opinions shall be issued in writing. The costs related to an advisory opinion shall not exceed $1,000 per opinion unless a higher amount is reasonably necessary to adequately answer the question and the additional expenditure is approved by a unanimous vote of the Board.
C. Charter educational powers. The Board shall have the following powers and duties with respect to Charter education. It shall:
(1) Direct and administer, with professional assistance, the required orientation of all newly elected City officials at the commencement of their initial full term of office.
(2) Be responsible, proactively and on an ongoing basis, for educating the public and members of City government as to their rights, duties, and obligations under the Charter and Administrative Code.