[HISTORY: Adopted by the Township Committee of the Township of Hillsborough 5-14-1959 by Ord. No. 59-3 (Ch. 26 of the 1977 Code); amended in its entirety 3-24-1998 by Ord. No. 98-07. Subsequent amendments noted where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Code of Ethics — See Ch. 49.
The Township Committee deems it desirable to thoroughly analyze the industrial and commercial structure of the area; to promote the sound development of the Township; to mobilize the potential resources of the Township for efficient business, commercial and manufacturing uses; and to maintain and improve the Township's relationship with business and industry within the Township.
There is hereby created the Economic and Business Development Commission of the Township.
[Amended 5-13-2003 by Ord. No. 2003-05]
The Economic and Business Development Commission shall consist of seven members and two alternates.
A. 
The members of the Economic and Business Development Commission shall be appointed by the Township Committee.
B. 
The term of office shall be four years. The terms of the original appointments to the Economic and Business Development Commission shall be from one to four years, to the end that no more than two terms will expire in any year.
C. 
If a vacancy in any term shall occur otherwise than by expiration of the term, it shall be filled by appointment as above provided for the unexpired term.
D. 
The members of the Economic and Business Development Commission shall serve without compensation, but each shall receive his or her actual disbursements for his or her expenses in performing his or her duties.
E. 
The members of the Economic and Business Development Commission shall choose from among the membership a Chairman and such other officers as it may deem necessary. The Mayor or his designee of the municipality served by the Commission shall be ex officio a member thereof, but he or she shall not have voting privileges.
F. 
Members may, after public hearing, be removed for inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office by the Township Committee.
G. 
Each member and officer of the Commission shall, before assuming office, take and subscribe to an oath that he or she will faithfully and impartially discharge the duties of his or her office.
H. 
A majority of the members shall constitute a quorum of the Commission.
The duties of the Economic and Business Development Commission shall be as follows:
A. 
To inquire into, survey and publicize the extent, advantages and utilities of the vacant lands within the Township.
B. 
To classify such vacant lands according to their adaptability for improvement for various types of business, commercial and industrial enterprises.
C. 
To study and analyze the various commercial and industrial organizations of the nation with a view to ascertaining opportunities for the business, commercial and industrial expansion of the Township.
D. 
To advertise the business, commercial and industrial advantages and opportunities of the Township and the availability of land within the Township for business, commercial and industrial use.
E. 
To solicit business, commercial, and industrial organizations to purchase or lease in the Township.
F. 
To recommend to the Township Committee and the Planning Board desirable and suitable areas within the Township for the location of business, commerce and industry.
G. 
To recommend to the Township Committee and the Planning Board reasonable and desirable restrictions concerning business, commercial and industrial sites.
H. 
To encourage expansion of existing and potential business, commerce and industry to the best interest of the Township.
I. 
To prepare and disseminate material and data advertising the advantages of the Township of Hillsborough to new business, commerce and industry.
J. 
To make annual reports to the Township Committee detailing the activities and operations of the Commission during the preceding year.
The Economic and Business Development Commission shall receive from all officers and official bodies of the Township such assistance as may be required by it in performing its duties, and the Commission shall have access to all Township public information and records which may assist it in the performance of its duties.
There shall be appropriated by the Township Committee annually such sum as it may determine to be necessary for the purpose of fulfilling the duties and objectives of the Economic and Business Development Commission.
A. 
Insofar as may be practicable, the employees and assistants required by the Commission shall be recruited from the public officers and employees of the municipality served by the Commission. The Municipal Counsel shall be the counsel to the Commission; the Municipal Engineer shall be the engineer of the Commission; and the several departments of the municipal government shall be available to the Commission for the purposes of the Commission's business. Municipal employees serving the Commission shall do so without compensation other than their regular compensation as employees of the municipality. The Commission shall, from time to time, make known to the Township Committee of the municipality served by it, its wants in the nature of services by employees of the municipality and the Township Committee shall designate which of the municipality's employees, if any, shall render such services.
B. 
To the extent that the Commission shall deem it necessary to carry on its functions and to the extent that it shall consider the services of existing employees of the municipality insufficient for its purposes, it may employ such additional employees or services and at such compensation as may be approved by resolution of the Township Committee. Its requirements in this direction shall be submitted from time to time in writing to such governing body.
A. 
No Commission created under the authority of this chapter shall have any power of condemnation or eminent domain.
B. 
No Commission created under the authority of this chapter shall have power to pledge the credit of the municipality by which it is created or to create any debt against this municipality.
C. 
Within the limits granted by the Township Committee, such Commission shall have the power and authority to make an economic survey, analyzing the present and potential possibilities of the municipality, with a view to ascertaining its industrial needs, determining its resources for efficient manufacture and exploring its probable sphere in the future development of the state and nation. In carrying out such a survey, the Commission shall study the needs of existing local industries so that means may be evolved to enable them to compete more successfully with competitors in other states; and more particularly how they might successfully expand out and enlarge the products manufactured within the municipality with a view to diversifying local industry and stabilizing employment conditions.
D. 
The Township Committee may appropriate annually, during the life of such Commission, such sums as may be reasonably necessary to conduct the normal operations of the Commission. The Commission shall annually present to the Chief Financial Officer of the Township its budget for operations for the ensuing year, reflecting therein all unexpended balances on hand from previous appropriations received from the municipality, at the same time and in the same manner and form as is required by several departments of the municipality's government, and the budget so submitted shall be acted upon as in the case of the budgets of such several municipal departments and, being so acted upon, shall be made a part of the municipality's budget. A copy of the proposed budget shall be filed in the Commission's office and be open to public inspection during the regular business hours of the Commission's office. The Commission shall keep and maintain at its office complete and accurate records of its accounts, and separate accounts shall be kept for its normal functions, which shall be open to public inspection during the regular business hours of the Township's administrative office. The Commission shall not exceed its budget, and monies received from the Township by which it has been created shall be expended only for the purposes for which they have been appropriated.