As a member of the Wilkes-Barre City Charter Review Commission and a candidate for Wilkes-Barre City Council, I think it is extremely important for not only the voters but all City Council Candidates to be aware of the duties, responsibilities and limitations of Council members. As with any other job, the employer and the employee should be familiar with the job description.

   Wilkes- Barre has a strong mayoral form of government. City Council is the legislative branch of the government. According to the City Charter, City Council essentially makes ordinances, approves or disapproves the budget and is the watchdog for the city government because they have the ability to conduct investigations, audits, or studies of the affairs of the city.

    While City Council’s duties are very significant, their power is limited. They cannot hire police, firemen, or DPW workers, have streets plowed or paved, have bridges fixed or enact clutter cleanup campaigns. These responsibilities belong to the Mayor, who heads all of the departments in the city.

To read the exact wording, a copy of the City Charter can be obtained at City Hall or by reading the copies provided below.

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