# Plymouth Township Charter
## (As Established, 08-11-2020)
#### TITLE I. PREAMBLE
#### TITLE II. ESTABLISHMENT
##### Chapter I. Establishment of Governance
##### Chapter II. General Powers
##### Chapter III. Boundaries
#### TITLE III. GENERAL PROVISIONS
##### Chapter I. Qualifications of Office
##### Chapter II. Terms; Oath of Office
##### Chapter III. Removal of Office
##### Chapter IV. Severability of Ordinances
##### Chapter V. Dissolution of this Charter
#### TITLE IV. TOWN ADMINISTRATION
##### Chapter I. Office of the Mayor
##### Chapter II. Office of the Town Clerk
##### Chapter III. Office of the Town Attorney
#### TITLE V. TOWN COUNCIL
##### Chapter I. Establishment of Council
##### Chapter II. Meetings of the Membership
##### Chapter III. Rules of the Membership
##### Chapter IV. Quorum
##### Chapter V. Investigative Privilege
##### Chapter VI. Township Emergency
#### TITLE VI. TOWN DEPARTMENT
##### Chapter I. Township Police
##### Chapter II. Contracts of the County Government

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### TITLE I. PREAMBLE
“After much time without the stability of municipal
government, we the people of the Township of Plymouth
hereby enact this Charter of local governance.”
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### TITLE II. ESTABLISHMENT
#### Chapter I. Establishment of Governance
a. The People of Plymouth, by adoption of this
Charter, create and provide for their control of the
Municipal Government of the Township of
Plymouth.
#### Chapter II. General Powers
a. The Town has the comprehensive home rule power
conferred upon it by the Mayflower Constitution,
subject only to limitations placed on it by our
Constitution of State or of statutes enacted by the
State.
b. The Town shall be allocated all powers in which a
Municipal area may possess under the Constitution
of State and statutes enacted by the State.
#### Chapter III. Boundaries
a. The boundaries of the Town shall exist within the
designated signs placed on every major highway
entering Plymouth.
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### TITLE III. GENERAL PROVISIONS
#### Chapter I. Qualifications of Office
a. All candidates for municipal office shall hold
residency within the State for no less than two (2)
months.
b. No candidate shall have committed any felony nor
have been disbarred from holding public office.
c. Any elected officer who has resigned from office
during their term shall be immediately disqualified
for the next two election cycles, but thereafter may
run for office.
#### Chapter II. Terms; Oath of Office
a. The term of every elective office shall be outlined as
four (4) months and shall commence and end on a
Monday.
b. Before assuming office, each elected officer shall
take and swear the following oath before any
Judicial Officer of the State:
“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support the
Constitution of this state as well as the Charter of the
Township of Plymouth; and that I will faithfully discharge
the duties of the office to the best of my ability, so help me
God.”
#### Chapter III. Removal of Office
a. The Mayor, Chief of Police, or any member of the
Town Council may be recalled from office by any
citizen residing within the Township.
b. The Grounds for Recall are (1) Lack of Fitness; (2)
Incompetence; (3) Neglect of Duties; and, (4)
Corruption.
c. The Petition to Recall must be sponsored by any
sitting member of the Town Council and must be
certified by the Mayor of the Township. Once
certified, the Mayor shall publish the ballot with
the Mayflower Elections Committee for public
referendum.
d. Any Petition that is placed to vote through public
referendum by the Mayflower Elections Committee
must achieve a ⅔ majority to remove any official
stated in Chapter III(a).
#### Chapter IV. Severability of Ordinances
a. Any standing ordinances enacted under the
previous charter shall remain in effect and shall be
empowered under this Charter.
b. All ordinances passed by the Town Council shall be
empowered through this Charter.
#### Chapter V. Dissolution of this Charter
a. This Charter shall be dissolved with a ⅔ vote of the
State Legislature or any other process stipulated
within our State Constitution.
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### TITLE IV. TOWN ADMINISTRATION
#### Chapter I. Office of the Mayor
a. The Mayor of the Township of Plymouth shall be an
elected position and shall serve at the will of the
People. The Mayor may appoint his deputy to the
position.
b. The Mayor is the head of the executive of the
Municipality, however shall be responsible for
presiding over all meetings of the legislative for the
municipal. The Mayor may not introduce
legislation into the Town Council, nor may vote
unless in times of tie in which the Town Mayor may
issue a tie-breaking vote.
c. The Mayor shall have power to veto any legislation
introduced by the Town Council. Such veto may be
overruled with a ⅔ vote within the Town Council,
however.
d. The Mayor reserves the right to issue an emergency
declaration of a Township Emergency within the
Township of Plymouth. Such declaration must be
through written executive order from the Mayor’s
Office. In times of civil unrest, criminal
organization, natural disasters, or any reason to
believe that the People of the Township are facing
dangerous circumstances.
#### Chapter II. Office of the Town Clerk
a. The Town Clerk shall be an appointed position,
serving at the will of the Mayor, to ensure the
upkeep of Town Records, Ordinances, and any
documents pertinent to the governance of the
township.
#### Chapter III. Office of the Town Attorney
a. The Town Attorney shall be an appointed position,
serving at the will of the Mayor, to represent the
township and its subsidiaries in a Court of Law and
all legal proceedings.
b. The Town Attorney must serve as an active
member of the Mayflower State Bar.
c. The Town Attorney may also appoint a co-counsel
and paralegal to assist in the office.
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### TITLE V. TOWN COUNCIL
#### Chapter I. Establishment of Council
a. The Town Council shall consist of a membership of
five municipal officials, four of which shall serve as
elected officials serving at the will of the People
whilst the fifth seat shall remain occupied by the
serving Plymouth Police Chief.
b. Each member shall be referred to and refer to
themselves as councilman or councilwoman.
c. The Town Council shall serve as the sole legislative
body within the Municipal government.
d. The Mayor shall serve as the presiding officer of
the Town Council but may not vote on motion
unless done to make a tie-breaking vote.
#### Chapter II. Meetings of the Membership
a. In accordance with the Constitution of the State of
Mayflower, the Town Council shall convene every
other week to remain as an operational
municipality.
b. Each convention of the membership shall be
conducted in Public of the Plymouth Townhall.
c. Emergency meetings may be conducted by special
written request by the Mayor of Plymouth or by ⅔ of
the Council’s membership.
#### Chapter III. Rules of the Membership
a. The Town Council shall be responsible for
establishing and publicising their own set of rules
for the membership.
b. The Town Clerk shall be responsible for
maintaining record and journal of each convention
of the membership.
c. No established legislation by the town council shall
contradict the Constitution of the State, nor any
statute of the State.
d. Any action by the Town Council must be affirmed
by at least a simple majority of the membership
present.
e. The Town Council may amend this Charter with a
⅔ majority. Each amendment must be presented in
PDF format with a favorable vote of more than 200
people of the Township of Plymouth.
#### Chapter IV. Quorum
a. The membership may only convene when three (3)
or more members are present, though a smaller
membership may convene and compel the
attendance of absent members.
b. Any member that is not absent with good reason
during a convention of the membership violates the
integrity of this charter and shall be immediately
detained and brought to the convention.
#### Chapter V. Investigative Privilege
a. The Town Council may enact municipal
investigative privilege into affairs of the Town
Government and the conduct of all its subsidiaries
and employees.
b. The Town Council may subpoena witnesses,
administer oaths, take testimony and require the
production of evidence in any matter pending
before it. Any subpoena from the council must be
enforced by that of the Plymouth Police
Department.

#### Chapter VI. Township Emergency
a. The Plymouth Council has the right to issue a township emergency with a 2/3 approval of the document stating the Township Emergency.
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### TITLE VI. TOWN DEPARTMENT
#### Chapter I. Township Police
a. The Town Police Chief shall serve as an appointed
position by the Mayor, and shall oversee the
day-to-day operations of the Township’s Police
Department - that being the Plymouth Police.
b. The Plymouth Police Department shall be
responsible for enforcing local ordinance, county
ordinance, and any statutes enacted on the state
level.
c. The Police Chief may employ as many Officers
within the department as the Town Budget allows.
#### Chapter II. Contracts of the County Government
a. Fire services for the Township shall be contracted
from the County Fire Department. No other
department may be established by the municipal to
provide such service.
b. Transport services for the Township shall be
contracted from the County Transit Authority. No
other department may be established by the
municipal to provide such service.
c. Additional services for the Township shall be
contracted and allocated by the Central Authority
of the State Constitution.
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##### BLANK
#### Mayor of Plymouth

#### Township Police Chief