Role of Supervisors 

The board of supervisors plays the central role in township government.  Article 15 of the Second Class Township Code places general supervisors of the affairs of the township in the hands of the board of supervisors.  Supervisors combine many of the roles found in separated branches or levels of the state and federal governments.  The board serves as the legislative body of the township, setting policy, enacting ordinances and resolutions, adopting budgets and levying taxes.  Since there is no separately elected executive, the board also performs executive functions such as formulating the budget, enforcing ordinances, approving expenditures, and hiring employees.  Although some townships have hired managers, most use the township secretary for general administrative purposes; in many townships supervisors play a large role in administrative activities, overseeing the day-to-day operation of township government.  Because the Code allows supervisors to also be employed by the township, many supervisors spend a significant amount of their time working on the township roads, performing the duties of the secretary or treasurer or other authorized duties.

Because of the supervisor's elected status, an individual in that position is often looked to as a community leader.  Certainly supervisors are the proper recipients of complaints, ideas and suggestions concerning township affairs.  In many cases, the supervisor is called upon to perform as a problem solver, acting as an agent for township citizens with outside agencies or private firms.  The supervisor has a role in representing the township's communal interests, past, present and future.  Although assisted by a planning commission, paid administrator or historical commission, many of the final decisions must be made by the elected officials.

The extent of any one supervisor's activities in these roles will be defined by the individual's own view of civic responsibilities, particular fields of individual interest and personal skills and talents.  To a large degree the supervisor's role is also defined by the local political culture, the generalized local attitudes toward municipal government and commonly-held expectations of how officials will operate.