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| THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA |
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| SENATE BILL |
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| INTRODUCED BY EICHELBERGER, ORIE, COSTA, GORDNER, BRUBAKER, ERICKSON, RAFFERTY, O'PAKE, EARLL AND GREENLEAF, MAY 13, 2010 |
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| REFERRED TO LOCAL GOVERNMENT, MAY 13, 2010 |
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| AN ACT |
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1 | Amending the act of June 24, 1931 (P.L.1206, No.331), entitled |
2 | "An act concerning townships of the first class; amending, |
3 | revising, consolidating, and changing the law relating |
4 | thereto," further providing for suits and property. |
5 | The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania |
6 | hereby enacts as follows: |
7 | Section 1. Section 1501 of the act of June 24, 1931 (P.L. |
8 | 1206, No.331), known as The First Class Township Code, reenacted |
9 | and amended May 27, 1949 (P.L.1955, No.569) and amended December |
10 | 19, 1997 (P.L.618, No.64), is amended to read: |
11 | Section 1501. Suits; Property.--Townships of the first class |
12 | may-- |
13 | I. Sue and be sued. |
14 | II. Purchase, acquire by gift, or otherwise, hold, lease, |
15 | let and convey, by sale or lease, such real and personal |
16 | property as shall be deemed to be to the best interest of the |
17 | township: Provided, That no real estate owned by the township |
18 | shall be sold for a consideration in excess of one thousand five |
19 | hundred dollars except to the highest bidder after due notice by |
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1 | advertisement for bids or advertisement of a public auction in |
2 | one newspaper of general circulation in the township. Such |
3 | advertisement shall be published once not less than ten days |
4 | prior to the date fixed for the opening of bids or public |
5 | auction, and such date for opening bids or public auction shall |
6 | be announced in such advertisement. The award of contracts shall |
7 | be made only by public announcement at a regular or special |
8 | meeting of the board of township commissioners or at the public |
9 | auction. All bids shall be accepted on the condition that |
10 | payment of the purchase price in full shall be made within sixty |
11 | days of the acceptance of bids. |
12 | The board of township commissioners shall have the authority |
13 | to reject all bids if such bids are deemed to be less than the |
14 | fair market value of the real property. In the case of a public |
15 | auction, the board of township commissioners may establish a |
16 | minimum bid based on the fair market value of the real property. |
17 | Except as otherwise hereinafter provided in the case of |
18 | personal property of an estimated fair market value of less than |
19 | one thousand dollars, no township personal property shall be |
20 | disposed of, by sale or otherwise, except upon approval of the |
21 | board of township commissioners, by ordinance or resolution. In |
22 | cases where the board of township commissioners shall approve a |
23 | sale of such property, it shall estimate the fair market value |
24 | of the entire lot to be disposed of. If the board of township |
25 | commissioners shall estimate the fair market value to be one |
26 | thousand dollars or more, the entire lot shall be advertised for |
27 | sale once, in at least one newspaper of general circulation in |
28 | the township, not less than ten days prior to the date fixed for |
29 | the opening of bids or public auction, and such date of opening |
30 | of bids or public auction shall be announced in such |
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1 | advertisement, and sale of the property so advertised shall be |
2 | made to the best responsible bidder. A public auction of |
3 | personal property may be conducted by means of an online or |
4 | electronic auction sale. During an electronic auction sale, bids |
5 | shall be accepted electronically at the time and in the manner |
6 | designated in the advertisement. During the electronic auction, |
7 | each bidder shall have the capability to view the bidder's bid |
8 | rank or the high bid price. Bidders may increase their bid |
9 | prices during the electronic auction. The record of the |
10 | electronic auction shall be accessible for public inspection. |
11 | The purchase price shall be paid by the high bidder immediately |
12 | or at a reasonable time after the conclusion of the electronic |
13 | auction as determined by the board of township commissioners. In |
14 | the event that shipping costs are incurred, they shall be paid |
15 | by the high bidder. A township that has complied with the |
16 | advertising requirements of this clause may provide additional |
17 | public notice of the sale by bids or public auction in any |
18 | manner deemed appropriate by the board of township |
19 | commissioners. The advertisement for electronic auction sales |
20 | authorized in this clause shall include the Internet address or |
21 | means of accessing the electronic auction and the date, time and |
22 | duration of the electronic auction. The board of township |
23 | commissioners may reject any bids received if the bids are |
24 | believed to be less than the fair market value of the property. |
25 | The board of township commissioners shall, by resolution, adopt |
26 | a procedure for the sale of surplus personal property, either |
27 | individual items or lots of items, of an estimated fair market |
28 | value of less than one thousand dollars and the approval of the |
29 | board of township commissioners shall not be required for any |
30 | individual sale that shall be made in conformity to such |
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1 | procedure. |
2 | The provisions of this clause shall not be mandatory where |
3 | township property is to be traded in or exchanged for new |
4 | township property. |
5 | The provisions of this clause shall not prohibit the sale or |
6 | exchange of township property to public utilities. |
7 | The provisions of this clause requiring advertising for bids |
8 | or sale at public auction and sale to the highest bidder shall |
9 | not apply where township real or personal property is to be sold |
10 | to a county, city, borough, town, township, institution |
11 | district, school district, volunteer fire company, volunteer |
12 | ambulance service or volunteer rescue squad located within the |
13 | township, or [municipal authority pursuant to the Municipality |
14 | Authorities Act of 1945] authority as defined in 53 Pa.C.S. § |
15 | 5602 (relating to definitions), or to a nonprofit corporation |
16 | engaged in community industrial, commercial or affordable |
17 | housing development or reuse or where real property is to be |
18 | sold to a person for his exclusive use in an industrial |
19 | development program or where real property is to be sold to a |
20 | nonprofit corporation organized as a public library, or where |
21 | real property is to be sold to a nonprofit medical service |
22 | corporation as authorized by clause LXXII of section 1502, or |
23 | where real property is to be sold to a nonprofit housing |
24 | corporation as authorized by clause LXXIII of section 1502. When |
25 | real property is to be sold to a nonprofit corporation organized |
26 | as a public library or to a nonprofit medical service |
27 | corporation or to a nonprofit housing corporation the board of |
28 | township commissioners may elect to accept such nominal |
29 | consideration for such sale as it shall deem appropriate. Real |
30 | property sold pursuant to this clause to a volunteer fire |
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1 | company, volunteer ambulance service or volunteer rescue squad, |
2 | nonprofit medical service corporation or to a nonprofit housing |
3 | corporation shall be subject to the condition that when the |
4 | property is not used for the purposes of the company, service, |
5 | squad or the corporation the property shall revert to the |
6 | township. |
7 | Any officer who sells and each officer who votes in favor of |
8 | selling any township property, either real or personal, without |
9 | the provisions of this section having been complied with, shall |
10 | be subject to surcharge in the amount of any loss sustained by |
11 | the township by reason of such sale. |
12 | The exemption granted by this clause to nonprofit |
13 | corporations engaged in community, industrial, commercial or |
14 | affordable housing development or reuse shall not apply to |
15 | property owned and operated by the township or subcontracted or |
16 | operated on the behalf of the township in order to conduct |
17 | existing governmental functions. |
18 | Section 2. This act shall take effect immediately. |
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