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Ballot question

Penn Hills Home Rule Charter Amendment: Acting or Interim Municipal Manager

On the ballot in
Penn Hills municipality
Vote
Yes or no
Election
Nov 3, 2026

The question, as printed on the ballot

Shall the Penn Hills Home Rule Charter be amended to clarify the process for appointing an Acting or Interim Municipal Manager by distinguishing between a temporary absence of the Manager and a vacancy in the office of Manager, and to authorize Council to designate an Acting or Interim Manager in the event of a vacancy?

A “Yes” vote means

Council may name an Acting Manager if the Manager has not, or if an absence exceeds 30 days or becomes a vacancy, and may appoint a temporary Manager during a vacancy.

A “No” vote means

The Charter is unchanged; it lets the Manager appoint an Acting Manager for an absence of up to 30 days and does not address longer absences or vacancies.

Official plain English statement

Penn Hills’ charter currently allows the Municipal Manager to appoint an Acting Manager from within the municipality staff in the event of a temporary absence of the Manager of not more than 30 days. It does not address what should happen if the Manager fails to designate an acting surrogate or if a temporary absence goes beyond 30 days or becomes a vacancy. The proposed change allows the council to designate an Acting Manager from within the municipality staff if the Manager has not done so, or if the Manager’s absence from the office extends beyond 30 days or becomes a vacancy. Any Manager-designated Acting Manager’s 30-day appointment will terminate on occurrence of a vacancy but may be extended if reaffirmed by a vote of the Council. If the office of Manager is vacant because of resignation, removal, death, disability, or refusal to act, the Council may appoint a temporary Manager to serve until a permanent Manager is appointed. No Council member or elected officer may serve as Manager in any capacity. Appointment of a permanent Manager remains the responsibility of the Mayor.

On all 50 Penn Hills district ballots. Ballot heading: "MUNICIPALITY OF PENN HILLS PROPOSED HOME RULE CHARTER AMENDMENT SPECIAL ELECTION QUESTION".

Sources

The question and plain English statement are copied word for word from official election materials. The Gist does not take a side on ballot questions.