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Friday, March 07, 2003 Page: 3A
Luzerne County Minority Commissioner Stephen A. Urban says Commissioner Tom
Makowski didn’t tell the whole truth when he said there’s a comprehensive
county ordinance book as required by the state County Code.
Urban said he personally checked after Makowski made the claim during
Wednesday’s Board of Commissioners meeting. Secretaries located an ordinance
book that contains ordinances from 2001 to the present, but nothing containing
ordinances more than 2 years old.
The state’s Center for Local Government Services says ordinances “do not
become effective until recorded in The Ordinance Book of the County.”
Urban said he has no idea how many pre-2001 ordinances exist because they’d
have to be uncovered by reading the minutes of old meetings.
Doug Hill, head of the state County Commissioners’ Association in
Harrisburg, said he isn’t familiar with the ordinance book requirement and
doesn’t know if old ordinances would be void just because they weren’t entered
into a book.
However, Hill stressed that counties rarely enact ordinances, which are
defined as local laws of general or permanent nature.
For example, commissioners enacted the hotel tax through an ordinance in
1996.
Commissioners rely more on resolutions, which are official statements of
the will of a governing body, Hill said. Resolutions are recommended for
actions that are not meant to be permanent and don’t require penalties for
enforcement.
Jennifer Learn-Andes, a Times Leader staff writer, can be reached at
831-7333.