The city Home Rule Charter was passed in 1951, creating a "strong mayor-weak council" form of government. The School Home Rule Charter was passed in 1965. Only one minor amendment to each charter has been made since they went into effect.

Under the charter, the mayor, though given many powers, does not have the power to formally create new city departments.

The City Council has 17 members, 10 elected by district, seven elected at-large. At least two of the at-large members must, by law, be members of the minority political party.

The Board of Education has nine members, appointed by the mayor to six-year terms. At any given time, some members of the board are likely to have been appointed by mayors other than the incumbent.. The board sets the school system budget, but has no taxing authority. City Council must levy taxes to fund the local share of school costs.

The Pennsylvania Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority was founded in 1991 during the city’s fiscal crisis. It can issue bonds and lend the money raised to the city; in return, it has some oversight power over the city’s fiscal affairs.

A FEW STATISTICS ABOUT CITY SERVICES

• The city demolished 1,539 structures as unsafe in 1998, up from 1,244 in 1995.
• Recreation department participants, 1998: 137,976
• Potholes repaired, 1998: 21,877, down from 81,048 in blizzard year of 1996
• Trash pickup: The city claims a 95.5 percent on-time pickup record in 1998, compared to 81 percent in 1996.