In 1975 the voters of Upper Saucon approved a referendum to increase the number of supervisors to five. Unlike commissioners in first class townships, supervisors may be employed to work for the municipality. In first class townships, the governing body is made up of elected commissioners. Each township has either five commissioners elected at large or one commissioner per ward if the township is divided into wards. The commissioners have four-year overlapping terms and may not be employees of the township.
Many townships have a professional manager who is hired by the governing body.
The manager is responsible for carrying out the policies and enforcing the ordinances of the governing body, relieving them of the day to day administration. Boroughs Before the American Revolution, one borough was established in each of the three original counties. Since then, the number of boroughs in the Commonwealth has increased to 966, making them the second most common form of municipal government in Pennsylvania. Unlike all the other municipalities in Pennsylvania, boroughs are not classified. And when a borough's population reaches 10,000, it may become a city by state law.