County attorney presents board rules rewrite; board schedules department‑head orientation for Dec. 9

County attorneys on Sept. 17 presented a revised draft of the Allegheny County Board Rules that staff said modernizes procedure, clarifies recusals and abstentions, and documents the way the board actually conducts business. The presentation also confirmed a department‑head orientation for newly elected legislators on Dec. 9.

“This is the draft board rules that have been revised,” the county attorney said, thanking staff and the clerk’s office for their work. The attorney said the rewrite captures how proceedings are actually run, aligns rules with county and municipal law, and clarifies matters such as recusals and abstentions. She also said the draft removes the penalty previously associated with abstentions.

Board members asked staff to provide a concise, bulleted list of the substantive procedural changes (not editorial or grammatical edits) to be reviewed at the next Ways & Means Committee meeting. “Not interested in grammar … more interested in procedure as it pertains to us,” one legislator said. The county attorney agreed to prepare a highlight document for the committee.

Separately, Chairman Harris announced that a full‑day orientation for department heads and newly elected legislators is scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 9, at the Crossroads, with lunch provided and invitations from the administrator’s office.

No vote was taken on the board rules draft; staff said the rules will be discussed at next week’s Ways & Means Committee and then forwarded for a board vote in early October if appropriate.