How Borough Decisions Become Law

Last Updated: June 5, 2026

First: Ordinance or Resolution?

Council acts in two ways. A resolution (or motion) handles routine, administrative business. An ordinance is a local law — and the Charter requires an ordinance for the weightiest decisions: creating or abolishing a department, levying a tax, setting utility rates, adopting the budget, granting a franchise, or establishing a penalty (Home Rule Charter, § C-25). Because ordinances carry the most weight, they also carry the most public process.

The Path of an Ordinance

A typical ordinance moves through these stages:

1. Drafting. The proposal is written, often with help from the Borough Solicitor, and placed on a Council agenda — which is public at least 24 hours before the meeting.
2. Public notice (advertising). For significant ordinances, the Borough must advertise the proposal in a newspaper of general circulation once a week for two weeks before Council can take final action (§ C-29, § C-30). The notice must state the time and place and either the full text or a fair summary, and where the full text can be examined (§ C-32). This is the public’s early-warning system.
3. Public hearing & comment. Certain ordinances — zoning, taxes, building codes, and others — require a public hearing before adoption (§ C-29). At the meeting, you may speak on the item before Council votes.
4. Possible revisions. After a hearing, Council may revise the proposal — but a substantial change can require fresh notice and another hearing, so the public isn’t surprised by a very different law (§ C-31).
5. The vote. Final adoption is by a recorded roll-call vote, with each member’s yes or no entered in the minutes (§ C-23). Every ordinance carries the enacting clause, “The Borough of Tyrone hereby ordains” (§ C-26).
6. Publication & effective date. After adoption, the ordinance is published, and it generally takes effect on the publication date unless a later date is set (§ C-33).
7. Recording & codification. The ordinance is entered in the Borough’s permanent ordinance book and codified into the Tyrone Code (§ C-34) — which is why you can read it any time on eCode360 (opens in a new tab).

The Emergency Exception — And Its Limits

To meet a true public emergency affecting life, health, property, or public peace, Council may adopt an emergency ordinance without the usual prior notice (§ C-36). But the Charter fences this in: the ordinance must declare and describe the emergency, and an emergency ordinance automatically expires after 61 days unless properly re-enacted. It’s a pressure valve for genuine emergencies, not a shortcut around public process.

Where You Can Step In

The process is full of public on-ramps. You can:

• Read the agenda at least 24 hours before each meeting to see what’s coming up;
• Watch for advertised notices and hearings in the newspaper for major ordinances;
• Speak before the vote at the meeting (see Your Voice in Borough Government); and
• Read the final law any time in the codified Tyrone Code.

Find the Law — Or Ask About One

In the Charter: Article V, Ordinances & Resolutions (§ C-25 to C-37) · Art. IV, § C-23 (recorded votes). Related: Borough Council · The Sunshine Act. Full code: ecode360.com/TY1357.