The voters have spoken. A ballot question asked voters in Conshohocken whether there should be a study of the borough’s government, which could have resulted in a home rule charter being adopted. Voters rejected the government study by a vote of 2,439 to 1,321 (353 voters cast a ballot, but did not weigh in on the study).

Adopting a home rule charter essentially allows the creation of a municipal or county-level constitution that shifts powers from the state to the municipality or county that adopts one. One caveat is that the constitution can’t be in conflict with the state constitution. Neighboring municipalities Plymouth Township, Whitemarsh Township, and Norristown all have a home rule charter. There are approximately 80 home rule charters in municipalities across Pennsylvania (there are over 2,500 municipalities).

The issue was placed on the ballot after a small group, Conshohocken Voice, secured enough signatures from borough residents. The driving issue behind the effort was protecting publicly owned utilities, such as a sewer system. In recent years, some municipalities sold or attempted to sell their systems to generate a windfall of cash to fund government projects. That proved unpopular with the public when rates increased. Home rule charters in Norristown and Towamencin played a key role in the sale of those systems not going forward. Conshohocken’s borough council studied and considered selling its system over a two-year period, but decided to not move forward with it.

In addition to the question about the government study, voters were also asked to write in seven names for who they would want to serve on the study commission. Those results are now irrelevant as the study won’t be conducted.

Header Photo – parema from Getty Images via Canva
Vote Results – Montgomery County