Pennsylvania Act 1955-51 — RELATING TO VOLUNTEER FIRE COMPANIES

Act text

RELATING TO VOLUNTEER FIRE COMPANIES
                  Act of Jun. 13, 1955, P.L. 173, No. 51              Cl. 53
                                  AN ACT

     Relating to volunteer fire companies; prohibiting any
        municipality from replacing a volunteer fire company by a
        paid fire company unless a majority of the electors of the
        municipality voting are in favor of the change; and providing
        for referendum to ascertain the will of the electors.

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

        Section 1.  As used in this act "municipality" means any
     city, borough, town or township.
        Section 2.  No municipality shall replace any volunteer fire
     company serving the municipality with a paid fire company unless
     a majority of the voters in the municipality have first voted in
     favor of the change.
        Section 3.  Any municipality desirous of replacing its
     volunteer fire company with a paid fire company shall file a
     petition with the county board of elections of the county for a
     referendum on the question of replacing the volunteer fire
     company with a paid fire company. The county board of elections
     shall cause a question to be placed on the ballots, or on the
     voting machine labels, and submitted at the municipal primary
     occurring at least sixty (60) days thereafter. The proceedings
     shall be in the manner and subject to the provisions of the
     election laws of this Commonwealth relating thereto.
        The question shall be in the following form:
        Do you favor the replacing of the volunteer fire company
     by a paid fire company in the ............................... of
     .........................?
        Section 4.  If a majority of the electors voting on the
     question, vote "yes," then the municipality shall replace the
     volunteer fire company with a paid fire company, but if less
     than a majority of the electors voting on the question, vote
     "yes," the municipality shall not replace its volunteer fire
     company with a paid fire company, unless and until, at a later
     election, a majority of the electors vote "yes" on the question.
        Section 5.  This act shall take effect immediately.