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A. Creation. A Board of Health is hereby created in the City of Reading, Pennsylvania, to consist of five members and two alternates.
B. Appointment. The members of the said Board shall serve without compensation and shall be appointed by the Mayor with the approval of the Council. No member of City Council shall be appointed as a member of the Board of Health.
C. Residency. All members of the Board of Health shall be residents of the City. If a qualified Board of Health cannot be established as set forth herein with residents of the City, alternatively, members may be selected from persons with a significant business interest in the City.
D. Membership. The Board of Health shall be comprised of at least one representative of each of the following:
(1) A person certified by the state or appropriately licensed in the area of environmental health.
(2) A person state certified or appropriately licensed in the study of infectious diseases.
(3) A person state certified or appropriately licensed as a public health practitioner.
(4) A person certified and licensed to practice by the State Board of Medicine, the State Board of Veterinary Medicine, the State Board of Pharmacy, or the State Board of Nursing to be engaged in a medical, medically related or health care profession or business.
(5) A representative of the citizens of the City of Reading.
E. One alternate shall be selected from any of the aforementioned professional fields with preference given to an individual representing a licensed profession not already represented on the Board.
F. The second alternate shall be a resident of the City who does not need to possess any of the qualifications stated above.
G. The inclusion of a state certified physician, veterinary, pharmacist and nurse specifically enumerated in Subsection D above does not preclude such from qualified under Subsection D(1) through (3) above if they are certified and/or licensed in the areas specified therein. If a licensed or certified professional from one of the above-named areas cannot be identified to serve on the Board, the Mayor, with the approval of City Council, may appoint any individual who has experience or is knowledgeable of public health issues relating to the field for which they are being selected to represent. Alternatively, if all fields are unable to be represented and more than one individual is qualified in one of the aforementioned fields, a second such person may qualify to fill the unfilled position of an unrepresented field.
H. Term. At the first appointment, Council shall designate one of the members to serve for one year, one for two years, one for three years, one for four years and one for five years, from January 1, 2006, and thereafter, one member of said Board shall be appointed annually to serve for the term of five years from January 1 succeeding his appointment.
I. Removal. Any member may be removed for misconduct or neglect of duty or for other just cause by a majority vote of Council taken after the member has received 15 days' advance notice of the intent to take such vote. Failure of a member to attend three consecutive regular meetings of the Board will constitute grounds for immediate removal from the Board by City Council. Failure of a member to attend at least 50% of the regular meetings of the Board in a calendar year will constitute grounds for immediate removal from the Board by City Council. The Chairperson of the Board shall inform the City Clerk in writing when a member has failed to comply with this attendance policy. Following such notification, City Council may vote to remove the member and seek applicants to fill the vacant position. [Amended 8-23-2010 by Ord. No. 58-2010]
J. Oath. Each member of the Board of Health shall take an oath of office.
A. President. The Board shall elect a President annually from among the members. Duties of the President shall include:
(1) Preside at all meetings of the Board.
(2) See that all orders of the Board are carried out.
(3) Report to City Council.
B. Vice President. The Board shall elect a Vice President. The Vice President of the Board shall fulfill all duties of the President in his/her absence.
C. Secretary. The Board shall appoint a secretary who is not a Board member and who is qualified in the secretarial arts. Duties of the secretary shall include:
(1) Keep the minutes of the proceedings of the Board.
(2) Prepare, under the direction of the Board, the annual report to Council.
(3) Assist the City Health Officer in the preparation of reports to the State Department of Health as are required by law or by rule or regulation of the Department. Any annual report of the local Board of Health must be submitted to the local state office.
(4) At the direction of the Board of Health, issue and respond to all correspondence from and to the Board of Health.
(5) Issue all notices to the newspaper for publication.
(6) Prepare any other reports and perform such other duties as are required of him/her by law of the Board of Health.
A. It shall be the duty of the Board of Health to enforce the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the article of the City of Reading enacted for the protection of the public health.
B. To undertake the aforesaid duty, the Board of Health shall:
(1) Monitor the health status of the City of Reading to identify community problems.
(2) Diagnose and investigate health problems and health hazards in the City of Reading.
(3) Inform, educate and empower the citizens and residents of Reading about health issues.
(4) Mobilize community partnerships and take action to solve problems.
(5) Analyze and develop policies and plans that support individual and community health efforts.
C. To exercise all the rights and perform all the duties and obligations conferred and imposed upon like Boards of Health in cities of the third class of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania by all acts of assembly which may not be in force or hereafter passed in reference to the same that are not performed by other boards, commissions or authorities or departments of the City of Reading.
D. The Board of Health shall have power to make and enforce such orders and regulations as may be necessary to carry out its aforesaid duties and obligations so long as the Council shall approve such regulations.
A. Scheduled. The Board of Health shall meet on the first Wednesday of each month. A list of the regularly scheduled monthly meetings for the upcoming year will be published in the newspaper in December.
B. Emergency. If the President of the Board of Health declares an emergency, he may call an emergency meeting. Twenty-four-hour notice of an emergency meeting must be given to the public. An emergency would include, but not be limited to, the existence of a condition which would immediately endanger public health, or the development of any other serious situation in which the President believes that action by the Board of Health is necessary for public safety.
C. Quorum. For the purpose of holding any meeting, the Board shall be at least 50% or more of the membership.
D. Open to the public. The Board of Health meetings shall be open to the public and shall be held at such places where the general public has unhampered access to such meetings.
E. Minutes. The said Board shall keep regular minutes of its meetings.
F. Rules and regulations. The Board shall have the power to adopt rules and bylaws to govern its meetings and organization.
Advisors to the Board of Health shall be as follows:
A. Health Officer. Under § 5-701, Duties of City Health Officer, of Chapter 5, Administrative Code, the City of Reading shall have a City Health Officer appointed by the Mayor. The Health Officer shall advise the Director of Community Development, and the Health Officer or his designee shall attend all Board of Health meetings in an advisory capacity.
B. Property Maintenance Manager. The Property Maintenance Manager or his designee shall attend all Board of Health meetings in an advisory capacity on issues under his/her purview and department.
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C. Legal. The City of Reading Legal Specialist shall attend all Board of Health meetings in advisory capacity and advise on all legal/law issues.
D. Others. The Board of Health may request the attendance of other City officials as may be necessary from time to time to address or advise on an issue before it. For example, the Board may request the attendance of the Codes or Health Inspector for a premises in question.
11. Editor's Note: Amended during codification (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Part 2).
Part 9
Blighted Property Review Committee
Blighted Property Review Committee
[Adopted 10-23-2006 by Ord. No. 65-2006 (Ch. 1, Part 5D, of the 2001 Code of Ordinances)]
The purpose of these provisions are to establish a Blighted Property Review Committee of the City of Reading to implement provisions of the Urban Redevelopment Law of 1945,
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as amended by Act 94 of 1978, further amended by Act 113 of 2002, promoting reuse and reinvestment in properties in the City of Reading.
12. Editor's Note: See 35 P.S. § 1701 et seq.
[Amended 8-9-2010 by Ord. No. 49-2010; 8-23-2010 by Ord. No. 62-2010; 10-9-2023 by Ord. No. 89-2023]
There is hereby established a "Blighted Property Review Committee" (hereinafter "Committee").
A. Duties. The Committee will be responsible for the certification to the Redevelopment Authority of all properties deemed to be vacant or abandoned.
B. Membership. The Committee shall be composed of not less than five members and two alternates who shall served without compensation. The Committee shall include at least one member of the governing body, a representative of the Redevelopment Authority, a representative of the Planning Commission, two citizen representatives of the City of Reading, one appointed by the Mayor and one appointed by Council, and two alternates appointed by Council. The citizen representative shall be nominated by the Mayor. In the event mayoral nomination does not occur, Council may appoint unfilled positions. All citizen members shall be approved by Council.
C. Terms. The term of each member shall be for a period of four years and until his or her successor is appointed. A member may be reappointed upon expiration of his or her term. The position of any member of the Committee appointed in his or her capacity as a member of the governing body, representative of the Redevelopment Authority, representative of the Planning Commission, representative designated by the Mayor, who ceases to be so engaged shall be automatically considered vacant. An appointment to fill a vacancy shall be only for the unexpired portion of the term. [Amended 10-22-2012 by Ord. No. 106-2010]
D. Organization of the Committee. The Committee shall establish its own bylaws, establish offices, and elect officers from its own membership. For the conduct of any meeting and the taking of any action, a quorum shall be not less than a majority of the Committee as a whole. For the purpose of this Part, the Committee will be able to begin holding meetings as soon as a majority of the members have been appointed and approved by Council. Any action taken at any meeting shall require the affirmative vote of a majority of the Committee as a whole. No member of the Committee shall be permitted to take part in the discussion or vote on any property in which said member has any financial interest, direct or indirect. The Committee shall keep full public records of its business and shall submit a report of its activities to City Council at least once a year.
E. Removal of members. Any member may be removed for misconduct or neglect of duty or for other just cause by a majority vote of Council taken after the member has received 15 days' advance notice of the intent to take such vote. Failure of a member to attend three consecutive regular meetings of the Committee will constitute grounds for immediate removal from the Committee by City Council. Failure of a member to attend at least 50% of the regular meetings of the Committee in a calendar year will constitute grounds for immediate removal from the Committee by City Council. The Chairperson of the Committee shall inform the City Clerk in writing when a member has failed to comply with this attendance policy. Following such notification, City Council may vote to remove the member and seek applicants to fill the vacant position.
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F. Expenditure for services. City Council may appropriate funds for legal, secretarial, clerk, consultant, and other technical assistance, and for the acquisition and maintenance of blighted properties, and any other such expenses incurred in the pursuit of achieving the aims of this Part.
13. Editor's Note: Amended during codification (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Part 2).
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