The Borough of Hamburg Environmental Commission is hereby established
pursuant to Chapter 245 of the Laws of 1968 (N.J.S.A. 40:56A-1 to 56A-5).
A Commission shall consist of seven members appointed by the Mayor,
one of whom shall also be a member of the Planning Board and all of whom shall
be residents of the Borough. The members shall serve without compensation
except as hereinafter provided. The Mayor shall designate one of the members
to serve as Chair and presiding officer of the Commission. The terms of office
of the first Commissioners shall be one, two or three years, to be designated
by the Mayor in making his/her appointments and their successors shall be
appointed for terms of three years and until the appointment and qualification
of their successors.
The Mayor and Council may remove any member of the Commission for cause,
on written charges served upon the member and after a hearing thereon at which
the member shall be entitled to be heard in person or by counsel. A vacancy
on the Commission occurring otherwise than by expiration of a term shall be
filled for the unexpired term in the same manner as the original appointment.
The Commission is established for the protection, development or use
of natural resources, including water resources, located within the territorial
limits of the Borough. The Commission shall have power to conduct research
into the use and possible use of the open land areas of the Borough and may
coordinate the activities of unofficial bodies organized for similar purposes,
and may advertise, prepare, print and distribute books, maps, charts, plans
and pamphlets which in its judgment it deems necessary for its purposes. It
shall keep an index of all open areas, publicly or privately owned; including
open marshlands, swamps and other wetlands, in order to obtain information
on the proper use of such areas and may recommend to the Planning Board, plans
and programs for inclusion in the Master Plan and the development and use
of such areas.
The Environmental Commission may, subject to the approval of the Mayor
and Council, acquire property, both real and personal, in the name of the
Borough by gift, purchase, grant, bequest, devise or lease for any of its
purposes and shall administer the same for such purposes subject to the terms
of the conveyance or gift. Such an acquisition may be to acquire the fee of
any lesser interest, development right, easement (including conservation easement),
covenant or other contractual right (including a conveyance on conditions
or with limitations or reversions), as may be necessary to acquire, maintain,
improve, protect, limit the future use of or otherwise conserve and properly
utilize open spaces and other land and water areas in the Borough.
The Environmental Commission shall keep records of its meetings and
activities and make an annual report to the Mayor and Council.
The Commission may appoint such clerks and other employees as it may
require, providing the same shall be within the limits of funds appropriated
to it by the Mayor and Council.