Government

Elizabethtown Borough is a full service municipality organized under the Pennsylvania Borough Code to serve the citizens and businesses of Elizabethtown. The Borough maintains a staff of approximately 40 full time employees to serve the community. The staff is supplemented with part-time and seasonal workers as necessary.  The Borough Office is where most business is transacted and is located at 600 South Hanover Street.  The Borough operates a Wastewater Treatment facility on Amosite Road located in West Donegal Township and is constructing a new Public Works Department facility on South Market Street in the Borough. 

As a full service municipality, Elizabethtown supplies a wide range of municipal services. In addition to administration and finance, maintenance of roads and highways, the Borough operates a stormsewer system, a residential solid waste and recycling program, a residential rental unit licensing program, planning, zoning, code enforcement, and a police force.  In addition, the Borough boasts a 39-acre linear park complete with trails, pavilions, basketball courts, softball field, and play equipment as well as a growing pedestrian and bicycle pathway network connecting the train station to the downtown area, residential neighborhoods, schools, churches, and Elizabethtown College.

Elizabethtown operates under the Council-Manager form of government. The Chief Administrative Officer of the organization is the Borough Manager, appointed by and serving at the pleasure of a majority of Borough Council. The Council, currently six members, is elected by Wards for four-year terms. The Borough has three Wards with two Council members representing each Ward.  From its ranks Council elects one member to serve as Council President and another to serve as Council Vice-President. Council serves as the legislative branch of local government. Its mission is to preserve the Borough’s fiscal security and adopt Resolutions and Ordinances governing the Borough.

The Mayor is independently elected. Pursuant to the Pennsylvania Borough Code, the Mayor’s duties include preserving order and enforce ordinances and regulations through the faithful performance of the officers in the police department, joining Council meetings as a non-voting member (only voting in tie-breaking instances), and may approve local ordinances adopted by Council. The Mayor also serves as a dignitary representing the community.