BOROUGH COUNCIL MEETING SCHEDULE INFORMATION
From
Hatboro
Sent
Fri, Oct 9 @ 9am
Description
Press Release
Borough Council Meeting Schedule Update
The Borough has received questions and comments regarding the current Borough Council meeting schedule. To ensure residents have accurate information, we would like to provide an update on this matter.
At its September meeting, Borough Council considered a proposal to return to holding two meetings per month during certain months of the year. After discussion, the motion did not pass, and Council elected to continue with its current meeting schedule.
The Borough of Hatboro remains committed to transparency and public engagement. Beginning in 2026, the Borough significantly expanded the amount of information provided with Council agenda materials, allowing residents additional opportunities to review items, ask questions, and better understand matters before Council takes action.
It is important to remember that Borough Council is responsible for conducting the business of the Borough. Council must discuss and act upon a wide range of matters each month to ensure the continued delivery of services and the efficient operation of local government. Many agenda items require timely action so staff can continue carrying out the day-to-day operations necessary to serve residents.
Borough Council welcomes public participation and values resident input. At the same time, Council has a responsibility to govern on behalf of all Borough taxpayers and residents. Monthly action on Borough business is necessary to maintain municipal operations, meet legal requirements, and ensure services continue without interruption.
As part of its review of the meeting schedule, Borough staff presented Council with an analysis comparing the costs associated with holding one meeting per month versus two meetings per month. The analysis considered factors including agenda and packet preparation, public meeting materials, staff time, professional service costs, advertising expenses, and other administrative requirements associated with conducting public meetings.
Staff also reviewed meeting schedules across neighboring municipalities and found that Hatboro is not unique in utilizing a once-per-month meeting schedule. Of the 62 municipalities surveyed, 33 currently hold one regular meeting per month, while the remaining municipalities hold two meetings per month. The municipalities meeting once per month included 12 boroughs, with the remainder being townships. These statistics are only for Montgomery County; we did look at meeting schedules for Bucks County as well and found many only held one meeting per month.
After considering the operational needs of the Borough, the associated costs, and practices utilized by other municipalities, Borough Council determined that one regular meeting per month remains sufficient to conduct Borough business while also representing a responsible use of taxpayer funds.
The Borough Council will be discussing moving our meetings to another night to not conflict with school board, knowing that residents may want to attend School Board meetings as well.
The Borough encourages residents to remain involved in local government by attending meetings, reviewing agenda materials, and sharing input on matters before Council.
Working together, we can continue to ensure Hatboro remains a well-managed, transparent, and financially responsible community.
Since our meetings are not attended by all residents, if you have an opinion on this and feel we should return to meeting twice a month, we ask that you reach out to our Borough Manager and let her know. You can email Manager Hegele at dhegele@myhatboro.org or call Borough Hall at 215-443-9100.
Of course, all residents are encouraged to reach out to your council members as well and our information can be found on the website at www.myhatboro.org
This notification was posted by Hatboro. Hatboro is solely responsible for this notification and unless specifically indicated, no other community or individual utilizing Savvy Citizen is sponsoring, responsible for, or endorsing this notification.
