Mayor & Council

The Borough of Emerson was chartered in 1903 as a Borough Council form of government in which the Mayor is elected to a four-year term and six council members are elected at large to serve staggered three-year terms.

The Mayor and Council usually meet the first and third Tuesday of the month for formal regular public sessions with the exceptions of holidays and Election Days. Meetings are open to the public and residents are given the opportunity to comment on proposed ordinances and other matters of concern at all meetings of the municipal government. The meetings may include a Closed Executive Session at which the public is excluded from attending pursuant to the Open Public Meeting Act only under very specific circumstances.

The Mayor is the Chief Executive Officer of the Borough, and as such presides over all public meetings, provides leadership in the development of community projects and makes appointments to various boards. The Mayor may create sub-committees for advisory and efficiency purposes that dissolve at the Sine Die; the last regular meeting of the year.  The Borough Council exercises all legislative powers including adoption of the municipal budget, bond ordinances and the general business of the community.

The Council’s power include, for example, adopting all ordinances; reviewing, revising and adopting the budget; making appropriations; levying taxes; authorizing bond issues; providing for the internal structure of local government; providing by ordinance for the creation and abolition of jobs; fixing salaries and establishing general municipal policy. The Mayor of the community is elected for a four-year term and serves part-time for a yearly salary. While the Mayor does not have a vote on the Council, he or she may vote in the case of a tie.

Council members consist of six members elected for staggered three-year terms. The Council members serve part-time for a yearly salary.

Essentially all of the activities of the governing body are regulated by law; commonly known as State Statutes that dictate the procedures which the Council must follow.

The Council has the authority to initiate hearings for the purpose of gathering information for the ordinances making, airing public problems and supervising the spending of its appropriations.