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An ordinance of the County of Allegheny, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, amending and supplementing Article 403 of the Administrative Code of Allegheny County, entitled “County Manager,” in order to establish a transparent, publicly accessible database of seats available on Authorities, Boards, Commissions and other entities to which the Chief Executive or Council has the authority to nominate or make appointments.
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Whereas, a number of Boards, Commissions, Authorities, and other entities operate within Allegheny County, and the Chief Executive and Council are often vested with the authority to nominate, appoint, or confirm nominees to serve on these entities; and
Whereas, the entities to which the Chief Executive and Council have nomination, appointment or confirmation powers are varied in purpose, while some are established by Commonwealth law and others exist as a function of County law; and
Whereas, hundreds of individuals occupy appointed seats on these entities at any given time, and attempting to track vacancies and expiring terms among the various appointees in the absence of a comprehensive database of such appointees presents significant logistical challenges; and
Whereas, while Allegheny County Council recognizes the daunting nature of establishing such a comprehensive database, it is the judgment of Council that the public has a right to know who occupies these appointed positions at any given time, and that full disclosure of appointees both increases the accountability of appointed officials and provides more opportunities for qualified individuals to identify avenues for public service; and
Whereas, it is therefore also the judgment of Council that establishing a comprehensive database of appointees will, in the long run, inure to the benefit of the County and its residents;
The Council of the County of Allegheny hereby enacts as follows:
SECTION 1. Incorporation of the Preamble
The provisions of the preamble to this Ordinance are hereby incorporated in their entirety by reference herein.
SECTION 2. Amendment of the Code
Article 403 of the Administrative Code of Allegheny County, entitled “County Manager,” is hereby amended and supplemented by the creation of a new §5-403.07, entitled “Appointment Database” and comprised as follows:
ARTICLE 403
County Manager
§ 5-403.01. Appointment of County Manager.
The Chief Executive shall, with the consent of a majority of the seated members of the County Council, appoint a County Manager. Upon receiving the consent of County Council for his appointment to the position, the County Manager shall serve as an at-will employee at the pleasure of the Chief Executive.
§ 5-403.02. Qualifications of County Manager.
The County Manager shall be selected for the position based upon administrative abilities as determined through professional preparation and relevant work experience in public service or private industry. The Manager shall devote full-time to the duties of the office.
§ 5-403.03. Powers and duties of Manager.
The Manager shall serve as the Chief Administrative Officer of the County and shall exercise all the powers and perform all duties as set forth in Article VI, § 1.6-602, of the Charter.
§ 5-403.04. Temporary absence/disability of Chief Executive; powers.
The Manager, if so designated by the Chief Executive, shall exercise the powers and perform the duties of the Chief Executive during periods of absence or disability as set forth in § 5-401.11 of this Administrative Code.
§ 5-403.05. Manager as temporary Chief Executive during vacancy.
The Manager shall exercise the powers and perform the duties of the Chief Executive during periods of vacancy as set forth in § 5-401.12 of this Administrative Code.
§ 5-403.06. Organization of the Office of the Manager.
The Manager shall have the authority to organize the Office of the Manager and to hire such personnel and staff, as the Manager deems necessary.
§ 5-403.07. Appointment database.
A. The Manager shall establish and maintain a database of all nominations, appointments and confirmations of nominations made by the Chief Executive and Allegheny County Council. Such database shall be made available on the County website at no charge, shall be searchable by entity and appointee name, shall be updated within sixty days of receipt of notice of any vacancy, new appointment(s), or reappointment(s), and shall specifically delineate:
1. The entity or entities to which each nomination or appointment was made;
2. The process by which each appointment or nomination was made and/or confirmed;
3. The original date of appointment for all appointed individuals; and
4. The appointed individual’s title, term length, and expiration date of the current term of each appointed individual.
B. For entities established solely by County law and to which County Council has the authority to appoint all of the members, specifically the Allegheny County Ethics Commission and the Friends of the Parks, Council shall submit annual reports to the County Manager delineating the individuals who are appointed by Council, their respective terms, and their dates of appointment for inclusion in the appointment database. Council shall inform the Manager immediately upon receiving notice of any vacancy or change in membership for these entities, and the Manager shall update the database within sixty days of receipt of such notice.
C. The Manager’s Office shall conduct an annual audit to ensure the veracity of the information provided to the public through the database. A written summary of such audit shall be forwarded to the President of Council and Chief Executive.
SECTION 3. Effective date.
The provisions of this ordinance shall become effective 180 days from the date of final approval.
SECTION 4. Severability. If any provision of this Ordinance shall be determined to be unlawful, invalid, void or unenforceable, then that provision shall be considered severable from the remaining provisions of this Ordinance which shall be in full force and effect.
SECTION 5. Repealer. Any Resolution or Ordinance or part thereof conflicting with the provisions of this Ordinance is hereby repealed so far as the same affects this Ordinance.