PHILADELPHIA HOME RULE CHARTER
CHAPTER 8 WATER DEPARTMENT
§5-803. Authority or Private Operator.
This chapter shall not be construed to prevent the City
from creating an authority under any applicable statute or from contracting with
a private operator to perform any or all of the operations and to render any or
all of the services provided for herein and from contracting with any such
authority or private operator to supply such services to the City.
Notwithstanding any of the provisions of this charter, the Council may, by
ordinance, abolish the Water Department if all of its functions shall be turned
over to an authority or to a private operator. If some but not all of its
functions are so turned over, the Council may, by ordinance, assign the
functions which remain to another department and abolish the Water Department,
if the Council shall determine that the continuation of a separate Water
Department is not warranted.
ANNOTATION
Sources: No specific source.
Purposes: While a Water Department is created by the Charter
to deal with the water problem, it is not intended to preclude the City from
creating, pursuant to an appropriate statute, an authority to take over any or
all of the services of the Department or from contracting with a private
operator to do so, if either course of action would be of advantage to the City
and beneficial to its citizens.
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