[HISTORY: Adopted by the Township Committee
of the Township of Readington 10-15-2007 by Ord. No. 35-2007. Amendments noted
where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Land development — See Ch. 148.
There is hereby formally established in and
for the Township of Readington an Agricultural Advisory Committee
to serve as an advisory committee to the Township Committee for the
purpose of discussion of matters of interest to the farming community,
current and pending Township ordinances affecting the farming community,
farmland preservation planning and other issues of interest to the
farming community which will have an impact upon the Township as a
whole; to provide opportunities to preserve farming as a viable industry
within the Township and to preserve the Township's rural character
by lessening pressure on landowners to sell farmland for development
and to keep nonthreatened farmland in active production.
A.
The Agricultural Advisory Committee shall meet no
fewer than four occasions per year or as needed for the following
purposes:
(1)
To assist the Township Committee in carrying out its
duties and responsibilities by informing it of developments in the
farming community that should be considered when using municipal regulatory
and land use powers.
(2)
To assist the Township Committee in the development
of ordinances by reviewing them for impacts upon the farming community,
including any ordinances which might affect land use in the Township's
Agricultural Development Area (ADA).
(3)
To assist the Planning Board in the development for
adoption of a farmland preservation plan element pursuant to paragraph
13 of section 19 of N.J.S.A. 40:55D-28b(13) and/or an agriculture
retention plan. The plan shall include at a minimum:
(a)
An inventory of farm properties in the entire municipality
and a map illustrating what the community considers significant areas
of agricultural land.
(b)
A detailed statement showing the municipal plans and
ordinances such as a right to farm ordinance and other agricultural
viability ordinances that support and promote agriculture as a business.
(c)
A plan for preserving as much farmland as possible
in the short term by leveraging monies made available by the Garden
State Preservation Trust Act, N.J.S.A. 13:8C-1 et seq., or other farmland
preservation funding programs through a variety of mechanisms outlined
in N.J.A.C. 2:76-17.6(a)3.
(d)
A statement of farming trends, characterizing the
type(s) of agricultural production in the municipality.
(e)
A discussion of plans to enhance the agricultural
industry in the municipality.
(4)
To assist, through consultation, the Planning Board
and the Township Committee in adjustments and amendments to the Farmland
Preservation and/or Agricultural Retention Master Plan Element and
the list of farms to be included in the easement purchase acquisition
program.
(5)
To assist the Planning Board in developing and considering
amendments developed through master plan reexamination and any other
changes that would affect the viability of farms located within the
Township's Agricultural Development Areas (ADAs).
(6)
To provide educational opportunities for residents
to learn about the history of farming in Readington Township, how
to support the local farming community and how to become involved
in the agricultural industry. This could include development of farm
tours to promote the preservation of farms and public education about
farming operations.
(7)
To provide information to the Township's Open Space
Committee about farmland preservation opportunities in Readington
Township.
(8)
To review and recommend any changes to the Township's
Agricultural Development Areas (ADAs) to the Planning Board and to
the Hunterdon County Agricultural Development Board (HCADB).
B.
The Agricultural Advisory Committee shall meet with
the Township Committee at least once a year to report on its activities
and discussions and provide the Committee with a summary of the issues
it has discussed and the positions it believes should be advanced
on behalf of the farming community as a whole in the municipality.
A.
The Readington Township Agricultural Advisory Committee
shall consist of five residents of the Township. In addition, a majority
of the members must be actively engaged in farming in the Township
and own a portion of the land they farm.
[Amended 3-16-2020 by Ord. No. 03-2020]
B.
Representatives shall be appointed from the various
scales of farming and commodities existing in the community to facilitate
a broad spectrum of response and to maintain its knowledge about the
ever-changing practices of the agricultural industry.
C.
Members shall be appointed by the Mayor and approved
by the remainder of the Township governing body. Initial appointments
to the Agricultural Advisory Committee organized as a result of this
chapter shall be for one one-year term, one two-year term and one
three-year term. Thereafter, each member shall serve a term of three
years. The Agricultural Advisory Committee shall choose a Chairman
who shall serve as a liaison between the Agricultural Advisory Committee
and the Township Committee and Planning Board. The Chairman shall
keep notes of the meeting which shall be deemed to be the property
of the Township. The Chairman shall serve as the spokesperson for
the Agricultural Advisory Committee in discussions with the Township
Committee and the Planning Board.
D.
Members must comply with N.J.A.C. 2:76-6.18(z) and
any other similar regulations in effect now or in the future with
respect to ethics requirements, including adopting a Code of Ethics
and adherence to the prohibition against members of the Township Agricultural
Advisory Committee or their immediate families selling or applying
to sell their property in fee simple title pursuant to the Agriculture
Retention and Development Act, N.J.S.A. 4:1C-11 et seq., and the Garden
State Preservation Trust Act, N.J.S.A. 13:8C-1 et seq. According to
such regulations "member of the immediate family" means the member's
spouse, child, parent or sibling residing in the same household. Any
Code of Ethics shall be subject to the prior approval of the Township
Committee.
E.
A vacancy occurring other than by expiration of a
term shall be filled by the Township Committee for the unexpired term
only.
F.
The members shall serve without compensation except
that they shall be reimbursed for expenses incurred in the performance
of official business.
All meetings shall comply with the Open Public
Meetings Act (N.J.S.A. 10:4-7 et seq.).
