Section 601. Supervisors and Government of Townships.--Townships shall be governed and supervised by boards of supervisors. Boards of supervisors shall consist of three members or, if approved by the electors under section 402(b), five members.

Section 602. Organization Meeting; Appointment of Secretary and Treasurer. –(a) The board of supervisors shall meet at a convenient time and place on the first Monday in January of each year. If the first Monday is a legal holiday, the meeting shall be held the following day. The board of supervisors shall elect one member as chairman and another as vice-chairman, and it shall appoint a treasurer and a secretary. The secretary shall be an individual; however, the board of supervisors may select either a trust company, a banking institution or an individual to serve as treasurer, or the board of supervisors may appoint one individual to serve as both secretary and treasurer. Members of the board of supervisors may be appointed as secretary-treasurer, secretary or treasurer. With regards to boards of supervisors which are designated as three-member boards, any supervisor who is to be considered by the board for any appointed township position or for employment by the township as authorized by law shall not be excluded from voting on the issue of such appointment or employment. Action taken by a supervisor shall be deemed to be within the scope of authority as a supervisor and shall not be deemed to constitute an illegal or an improper conflict of interest. ((a) amended Dec. 18, 1996, P.L.1142, No. 172)
(b) The meeting under this section may be considered a regular monthly meeting of the board of supervisors. The first order of business at this meeting shall be organization of the board of supervisors.
(c) The board of supervisors may appoint a supervisor to be employed as roadmaster, laborer, secretary, treasurer, assistant secretary, assistant treasurer or in any employe capacity not otherwise prohibited by this or any other act.
(d) The board of supervisors may authorize a supervisor who is employed by the township to be compensated at the supervisor’s regular employe rate and a supervisor who is not employed by the township to receive total or partial reimbursement for lost wages or salary if the supervisor’s presence is required in a court of law concerning a township-related matter or the supervisor’s attendance is required at any meeting of a board, council of government, commission, authority or county government-sponsored committee to which the supervisor has been appointed by the board of supervisors, board of county commissioners or county council of the county in which the supervisor resides.  The compensation may be granted at the discretion of the board of supervisors and any rate may be granted to the supervisor up to the supervisor’s normal pay rate or lost wages or salary.  This subsection shall be subject to the following conditions:
(1) The court must be in session or other meeting must occur during the supervisor’s normal working hours.
(2) The supervisor must not receive any compensation from the other board, council of government, commission, authority or county government committees for the particular meeting the supervisor attends.
(3) No supervisor may be compensated for attending more than 120 hours of court sessions, other board, council of government, commission, authority or county government committee meetings within a calendar year.  The secretary or manager of the township shall keep an accurate and timely accounting of the number of hours that a supervisor has accrued.
(602 amended by Act 101 of 2006)

Section 603. Monthly Meetings; Quorum and Voting.-The board of supervisors shall meet for the transaction of business at least once each month at a time and place determined by the board of supervisors. A quorum is two members of a three-member board of supervisors or three members of a five-member board of supervisors. An affirmative vote of a majority of the entire board of supervisors at a public meeting is necessary in order to transact any business. A member shall not be disqualified from voting on any issue before the board solely because the member has previously expressed an opinion on the issue in either an official or unofficial capacity.

Section 604. Special Meetings.-Upon call of the chairman or by agreement of a majority of its members, the board of supervisors may schedule special meetings of the board of supervisors after notice required under the act of July 3, 1986 (P.L.388, No. 84), known as the "Sunshine Act." Notice of a special meeting shall state the nature of the business to be conducted at the meeting.

Section 605. Minutes and Records.-(a) The board of supervisors shall provide for the recording of minutes of its proceedings and other books it may find necessary in the performance of its duties. The records shall be made available to the board of auditors during the annual audit. Unless the custodian of the records agrees otherwise, the records shall be audited or inspected at the place where they are normally maintained. Supervisors who leave office shall deliver all township records in their possession to their successors or to the township secretary.
(b) All township records required to be recorded or transcribed are valid if typewritten, printed, photostated or microfilmed, and, where recording in a specified book of record is required, including minutes of the proceedings of the board of supervisors, the records may be recorded or transcribed in a mechanical post binder book capable of being permanently sealed, with consecutively numbered pages with a security code printed thereon and a permanent locking device with the township seal being impressed upon each page, or bound book with pages being consecutively numbered by transcribing directly upon the pages of the book of record, or may be attached to the book of record by stapling or by glue or any other adhesive substance or material, and all records previously recorded or transcribed in any manner authorized by this section are validated. When any record is recorded or transcribed by attaching the record or a copy of it to the book of record, the township seal shall be impressed upon each page to which the record is attached, each impression covering both a portion of the attached record and a portion of the page of the book of record to which the record is attached.
(c) Original or certified copies of ordinances may also be stored in a locking or mechanical post binder book, capable of being permanently sealed, without being fastened onto pages in the binder.

Section 606. Compensation of Supervisors.---(a) Supervisors may receive as compensation an amount established by ordinance not in excess of the following:

Township Annual Maximum
Population Compensation
not more than 4,999 $1,875
5,000 to 9,999 $2,500
10,000 to 14,999 $3,250
15,000 to 24,999 $4,125
25,000 to 34,999 $4,375
35,000 or more $5,000

Salaries are payable monthly or quarterly for the duties imposed by this act. The population is determined by the latest official census figures, except that no township shall be required to reduce the salary of a supervisor as a result of a decrease in population. The compensation of supervisors, when employed as roadmasters, laborers, secretary, treasurer, assistant secretary, assistant treasurer or in any employe capacity not otherwise prohibited by this or any other act, shall be determined by the board of auditors, at an hourly, daily, weekly, semi-monthly or monthly basis, which shall be comparable to compensation paid in the locality for similar services. The board of supervisors may establish a mileage allowance, under the act of July 20, 1979 (P.L. 156, No. 51), referred to as the Uniform Mileage Fee Law, to be paid to officers and employes for the use of a personal vehicle when required and actually used for authorized township business. No supervisor may receive compensation as an employe for attending a meeting of the board of supervisors. Supervisors may continue to be compensated under prior law until such time as an ordinance is enacted under this act. Any change in salary, compensation or emoluments of the elected office becomes effective at the beginning of the next term of the supervisor. A decision by the township to pay, in whole or in part, to include supervisors not employed by the township in insurance plans, as authorized in subsection (c), shall not be implemented with regard to any nonemploye supervisor until the beginning of the next term of that supervisor.
(b) Any benefit provided to or for the benefit of a supervisor employed by the township in any employe capacity under this act in the form of inclusion in a pension plan paid for in whole or in part by the township is compensation within the meaning of this act to the extent that benefit is paid for by the township and is determined by the board of auditors; however:
(1) Supervisors are eligible for inclusion in township pension plans only if they are employed by the township in any employe capacity under this act. In order to be eligible for inclusion in the plans, supervisor-employes must meet the same requirements as other employes of the township who are eligible to participate in a pension plan. Pension plans shall not improperly discriminate in favor of a supervisor-employe.
(2) Once given, auditor approval for inclusion of supervisor-employes shall not be rescinded in any subsequent years as long as the pension plan remains in effect and the supervisors remain employed by the township and continue to meet the same requirements as other employes of the township who are eligible to participate in a pension plan, nor shall the auditors act in any way that disqualifies the pension plan under Federal law.
(3) No change in the nature or rate of the contributions of a defined contribution plan and no change in the benefit formula of a defined benefit plan shall be initiated by the board of supervisors with respect to a supervisor-employe without auditor approval.
(4) A pension or annuity contract made by a township between January 1, 1959, and March 31, 1985, that includes or provides for benefits for supervisor-employes or retired supervisor-employes at township expense is not void or unlawful solely because the inclusion of supervisor-employes or retired supervisor-employes was not previously approved by the township auditors. No penalty, assessment, surcharge, forfeiture or disciplinary action of any kind may occur as a result of that participation by supervisor-employes,
(5) All premium, contribution or similar payments made by a township on pension or annuity contracts on behalf of supervisor-employes between January 1, 1959, and March 31, 1985, which would have been proper but for the absence of auditor approval are hereby approved. Any benefits payable to any supervisor-employe or his beneficiaries on account of any premium, contribution or similar payments made by a township during that period shall continue. Any premium, contribution or similar payments made by a township after March 31, 1985, requires auditor approval under this subsection.
(6) If a supervisor-employe personally contributed toward a township-sponsored pension plan or annuity that is not approved by the township auditors or not approved by this act, he shall receive a refund of his total contributions thereto plus any interest accumulated thereon. In lieu of a refund of contributions plus accumulated interest, a supervisor-employe who personally contributed toward a pension or annuity plan in which he participated may elect to purchase that portion of his pension or annuity funded by the township. A qualified actuary, who shall report his determination under the act of December 18, 1984 (P.L. 1005, No.205), known as the "Municipal Pension Plan Funding Standard and Recovery Act," shall determine the amount the supervisor-employe shall pay to purchase the township-funded portion of the annuity or pension.
(7) Supervisors who are not employes of the township are not eligible for participation in any pension or annuity contract paid in whole or in part by the township. No supervisor who was not an employe of the township but was included in a township-paid pension or annuity plan made by a township between January 1, 1959, and March 31, 1985, is subject to any penalty, assessment, surcharge, forfeiture or disciplinary action. Any residual interest, value, refund of premium or benefits payable on or after March 31, 1985, arising out of the township-paid interest of a supervisor who was not an employe is the exclusive property of the township.
(c) In addition to the compensation authorized under this section, supervisors while in office or while in the employ of the township may be eligible for inclusion in township-paid insurance plans, as follows:
(1) Supervisors, whether or not they are employed by the township, and their dependents are eligible for inclusion in group life, health, hospitalization, medical service and accident insurance plans paid in whole or in part by the township. Their inclusion in those plans does not require auditor approval, but does require submission of a letter requesting participation at a regularly scheduled meeting of the board of supervisors before commencing participation. The insurance shall be uniformly applicable to those covered and shall not give eligibility preference to or improperly discriminate in favor of supervisors. No policy of group life insurance shall contain any provision for a cash surrender value, loan value or any other benefit beyond the face amount of insurance. The policy may contain a provision that when the insurance ceases because of termination of employment or term of office, the person is entitled to have issued to him by the insurer, without evidence of insurability, an individual policy of insurance on any form customarily issued by the insurer at the age and for the amount applied for if the amount is not in excess of the amount of life insurance which ceases because of the termination and the application for the individual policy is made and first premium is paid to the insurer within thirty-one days after termination.
(2) Any life, health, hospitalization, medical service or accident insurance coverage contract made by a township between January 1, 1959, and March 31, 1985, that includes or provides coverage for supervisors not employed by the township is not void or unlawful because inclusion of those supervisors was subsequently found to be without lawful authority. No penalty, assessment, surcharge, forfeiture or disciplinary action may occur as a result of participation by those supervisors. Insurance benefits paid or payable to insureds or their beneficiaries arising out of or on account of deaths, injuries, accidents or illnesses occurring before March 30, 1988, are the property of the insureds or their beneficiaries.
(3) All payments made by a township on any group life, health, hospitalization, medical service or accident insurance coverage contracts on behalf of supervisors who were not employes between January 1, 1959, and March 31, 1985, which would have been proper but for the absence of auditor approval are hereby approved. Any benefits payable to any supervisor or his beneficiaries on account of those payments during that time shall continue.
(4) The township may deduct from any compensation payable to a supervisor such part of any insurance premium or charge which is payable by the supervisor within the terms of the particular township's insurance plan.

Section 607. Duties of Supervisors. -The board of supervisors shall: (1) Be charged with the general governance of the township and the execution of legislative, executive and administrative powers in order to ensure sound fiscal management and to secure the health, safety and welfare of the citizens of the township.
(2) Have the responsibility for maintenance of township-owned equipment and facilities.
(3) Employ persons as may be necessary for the general conduct of the business of the township and provide for the compensation, organization and supervision of the persons so employed. Records shall be kept and reports made and filed giving the names of all persons employed, dates on which work was done and the number of hours worked with compensation paid to each person and the capacity in which employed.
(4) Authorize attendance at conferences, institutes, schools and conventions. Any supervisor, elected or appointed officer or township employe may if directed by the board of supervisors attend any conference, institute, school or convention dealing with the duties and functions of elected or appointed officers or employes. The expenses for attending the meetings may be paid by the township and are limited to the registration fee, mileage for the use of a personal vehicle or reimbursement of actual transportation expense going to and returning from the meeting plus all other actual expenses that the board of supervisors agrees to pay. Every attendee shall submit to the board of supervisors an itemized account of expenses incurred at the meeting. The board of supervisors may authorize employes to be compensated at their regular employe rate, and auditors to be compensated at the rate of ten dollars ($10) for each hour up to a maximum of eight hours per day, during their attendance at the meeting.
(5) Annually, on or before the first day of February, furnish to the board of auditors information on the construction or maintenance of roads or other matters that may be required by any department of the Commonwealth to be included in the annual township report.
(6) Provide for the annual tax duplicate to be prepared and presented to the tax collector.
(7) Perform duties and exercise powers as may be imposed or conferred by law or the rules and regulations of any agency of the Commonwealth.
(607 amended by Act 101 of 2006)