Run for office in Berks County, PA.

About these offices

Local school board members are responsible for overseeing school operations within the district, typically including employment decisions regarding a district superintendent.

About these offices

The County Council is responsible for all legislative and administrative functions of certain county governments, including the adoption of a budget setting local tax rates and fees. Although the Council oversees all service departments, the Executive Director, a Council appointee, is directly responsible for the regular operations. The County Council is involved in a range of activities including economic development, public transportation, waste disposal, human services, housing, land use and culture.

The County Court Clerk is responsible for maintaining court records, authenticating court orders and judgements, and administering oaths to witnesses and jurors.

The District Attorney prosecutes crimes committed in the county and works closely with local, state and federal law enforcement to ensure the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania are upheld and that citizens are protected. The District Attorney has authority over criminal investigations and prosecutions in the county, the steps of which include preliminary hearings, pre-trial conferences, guilty pleas, trials and appeals.

The County Sheriff is the chief law enforcement official of the county and is responsible for ensuring that all local, state, and federal laws are followed.

The County Recorder, Register of Deeds, or Register of Mesne Conveyance is the officer responsible for keeping records of vital statistics, notarized deeds of trust, and other deeds affecting real property.

The county Controller is the county's independently elected fiscal watchdog and auditor, exercising general supervision and control over its financial affairs. The Controller is authorized to examine the accounts and official acts of all officers or other persons who collect, receive, or disperse the county's money and may investigate accusations of mismanagement and fraud among local agencies, employees, and contractors.

The county Register of Wills is primarily responsible for the probate of wills and acceptances for filing of the documents necessary to complete the administration of a decedent’s estate. The position is quasi-judicial, giving it the authority to conduct a hearing to determine who should be appointed executor or administrator to an estate.

Magisterial District Courts are responsible for adjudicating all traffic and non-traffic citations as well as processing criminal and private criminal complaints, including arraignments and preliminary hearings. Magisterial District judges also hear civil and landlord-tenant complaints up to a jurisdictional limit of $12,000. Magisterial District judges may also administer oaths and affirmations and take acknowledgments.

The County Treasurer or Finance Officer is responsible for the safekeeping of public funds as well as receiving and distributing the revenue and public funds of the county. The County Treasurer or Finance Officer oversees the financial and budgetary administration ensuring regulation is followed in accounting matters as well as county purchasing.