Pennsylvania Act 1992-126 — CITY CLASSIFICATION LAW - AMEND

Act text

Session of 1992

No. 1992-126

HB 1305

AN ACT

Amending the act of June 25, 1895 (P.L.275, No.188), entitled, as amended, "An act dividing the cities of this State into four classes with respect to their population, and designating the mode of ascertaining and changing the classification thereof in accordance therewith," changing the population requirements for cities of the second class, second class A and third class; and regulating home rule charter or optional plan forms of government.

The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania hereby enacts as follows:

Section 1. Section 1 of the act of June 25, 1895 (P.L.275, No.188), referred to as the City Classification Law, amended August 31, 1971 (P.L.413, No.98), is amended to read:

Section 1. Be it enacted, &c., That for the purpose of legislation regulating their municipal affairs, the exercise of certain corporate powers, and having respect to the number, character, powers, and duties of certain officers thereof, the cities now in existence and those hereafter created in this Commonwealth shall be divided into four classes:

Those containing a population of one million or over shall constitute the first class.

Those containing a population of [five hundred thousand] two hundred and fifty thousand and under one million shall constitute the second class.

Those containing a population of [one hundred thousand] eighty thousand and under [five hundred thousand] two hundred and fifty thousand and which by ordinance elect to be a city of the second class A shall constitute the second class A.

Those containing a population under [five hundred thousand] two hundred and fifty thousand and which have not elected to become a city of the second class A shall constitute the third class.

Section 2. Section 3 of the act, added July 14, 1961 (P.L.649, No.335), is amended to read:

Section 3. Whenever the population of any city of the second class A has regressed to a figure below the minimum fixed for that classification, the court of [quarter sessions] common pleas of the county in which the city is located shall, upon petition of fifteen per cent of the registered voters of the city or upon petition of the city council, appoint a charter commission to study and make recommendations on the adoption of a form of city government. Any city operating under a home rule charter or optional plan of government pursuant to the act of April 13, 1972 (P.L.184, No.62) , known as the "Home Rule Charter and Optional Plans Law," shall retain its form of government as adopted until amended or repealed in accordance with the terms of the "Home Rule Charter and Optional Plans Law," regardless of any change in classification under this act.

Section 3. This act shall take effect immediately.

APPROVED--The 4th day of December, A. D. 1992.

ROBERT P. CASEY