A hearing on the council size referendum is set for 11 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 8, by Bucks County Court of Common Pleas in Courtroom 340.
Yardley Borough resident Earl Markey petitioned the Bucks County Court of Common Pleas with signatures of 151 voters for a referendum to decrease the size of Yardley Borough Council from seven to five members. The Court scheduled a hearing regarding certification of the ballot question on the Nov. 8 General Election ballot. This would be the first referendum under a 2020 law that shifted the decision from the courts to borough voters.
Yardley's Council has experienced multiple resignations over the past few years. Few residents appear committed to volunteering the considerable amount of time, effort, and expense that comes along running for and holding office. When a member resigns, the remaining council members select a replacement who serves until the next municipal election. This results in appointees who are more beholden to members (and staff) than the voters, residents say. “Our neighbors in Lower Makefield Township have five supervisors governing a municipality more than 10 times larger than Yardley Borough. Five council members could govern our one square mile borough with its single stop light just as effectively,” Markey said.
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