[Amended 4-11-1995 by Ord. No. 3-95]
No member of the Planning Board shall act on any matter in which he has either, directly or indirectly, any personal or financial interest. Whenever any such member shall disqualify himself from acting on a particular matter, he shall not continue to sit with the Board on the hearing of such matter nor participate in any discussion or decision relating thereto.
A. 
Meetings of the Planning Board shall be scheduled no less often than once a month, and any meeting so scheduled shall be held as scheduled unless canceled for lack of applications for development to process.
[Amended 4-11-1995 by Ord. No. 3-95]
B. 
Special meetings may be provided for at the call of the Chairman or on the request of any two Board members, which meetings shall be held on notice to its members and the public in accordance with all applicable legal requirements.
C. 
No action shall be taken at any meeting without a quorum being present.
D. 
All actions shall be taken by majority vote of a quorum except otherwise required by any provision of P.L, 1975, c. 291.
E. 
All regular meetings and all special meetings shall be open to the public. Notice of all such meetings shall be given in accordance with the requirements of the Open Public Meeting Law, P.L. 1975, c. 231.[1] An executive session for the purpose of discussing and studying any matters to come before the agency shall not be deemed a regular or special meeting within the meaning of this chapter or the Municipal Land Use Law of 1975, P.L. 1975, c. 291.
[1]
Editor's Note: See N.J.S.A. 10:4-6 et seq.
Minutes of every regular or special meeting shall be kept and shall include the names of the persons appearing and addressing the Board and the persons appearing by attorney, the action taken by the Board, the findings, if any, made by it and reasons therefor. The minutes shall thereafter be made available for public inspection during normal business hours at the office of the Municipal Clerk. Any interested party shall have the right to compel production of the minutes for use as evidence in any legal proceeding concerning the subject matter of such minutes. Such interested party may be charged a fee for reproduction of the minutes for his use as provided for in the rules of the Board.
[Amended 4-11-1995 by Ord. No. 3-95]
Fees for applications or for the rendering of any service by the Planning Board or any member of their administrative staffs which is not otherwise provided by ordinance may be provided for and adopted as part of the rules of the Board, and copies of said rules or of the separate fee schedule shall be available to the public.
A. 
Rules. The Planning Board shall make rules governing the conduct of hearings before such bodies, which rules shall not be inconsistent with the provisions of N.J.S.A. 40:55D-1 et seq. or this chapter.
[Amended 4-11-1995 by Ord. No. 3-95]
B. 
Oaths. The officer presiding at the hearing, or such person as he may designate, shall have the power to administer oaths and issue subpoenas to compel the attendance of witnesses and the production of relevant evidence, including witnesses and documents presented by the parties, and the provisions of P.L. 1953, c. 38 (N.J.S.A. 2A:67A-1 et seq.), shall apply.
C. 
Testimony. The testimony of all witnesses relating to an application for development shall be taken under oath or affirmation by the presiding officer, and the right of cross examination shall be permitted to all interested parties through their attorneys, if represented, or directly, if not represented, subject to the discretion of the presiding officer and to reasonable limitations as to time and number of witnesses.
D. 
Evidence. Technical rules of evidence shall not be applicable to the hearing, but the Board may exclude irrelevant, immaterial or unduly repetitious evidence.
E. 
Records. Each Board shall provide for the verbatim recording of the proceedings by either stenographic, mechanical or electronic means. The Board shall furnish a transcript or duplicate recording in lieu thereof, on request, to any interested party at his expense.
[Amended 8-13-1991 by Ord. No. 7-91; 12-14-2010 by Ord. No. 15-10]
Public notice of a hearing on an application for development shall be given by the applicant in accordance with Subsections A through J of this section, except for minor subdivisions, as defined by this chapter; minor site plans, as defined by this chapter; and final approval of site plans and major subdivisions, and provided, further, that public notice shall be given in the event that relief is requested pursuant to Section 47 or Section 63 of P.L. 1975, c. 291 (N.J.S.A. 40:55D-60 or 40:55D-76) as part of an application for development otherwise excepted herein from public notice. The applicant shall give public notice as follows:
A. 
Public notice shall be given by publication in the official newspaper of the municipality at least 10 days prior to the date of the hearing.
B. 
Notice shall be given to the owners of all real property, as shown on the current tax duplicate or duplicates, located within 200 feet in all directions of the property which is the subject of such hearing and whether located within or without the municipality in which the applicant's land is located. Said notice shall be given by serving a copy thereof on the owner as shown on the current tax duplicate or his agent in charge of the property or by mailing a copy thereof by certified mail to the property owner at his address as shown on said current tax duplicate. A return receipt is not required. Notice to a partnership owner may be made by service upon any partner. Notice to a corporate owner may be made by service upon its president, a vice president, secretary or other person authorized by appointment or by law to accept service on behalf of the corporation.
C. 
Notice of all hearings on applications for development involving property located within 200 feet of an adjoining municipality shall be given by personal service or certified mail to the Clerk of such municipality, which notice shall be in addition to the notice required to be given pursuant to § 85-31B of this article to the owners of lands in such adjoining municipality which are located within 200 feet of the subject premises.
D. 
Notice shall be given by personal service or certified mail to the County Planning Board of a hearing on an application for development of property adjacent to an existing county road or proposed road shown on the Official County Map or on the County Master Plan, adjoining other county land or situate within 200 feet of a municipal boundary.
E. 
Notice shall be given by personal service or certified mail to the Commissioner of Transportation of a hearing on an application for development of property adjacent to a state highway.
F. 
Notice shall be given by personal service or certified mail to the State Planning Commission of a hearing on an application for development of property which exceeds 150 acres or 500 dwelling units. The notice shall include a copy of any maps or documents required to be on file with the Municipal Clerk pursuant to Section 6b of P.L. 1975, c. 291 (N.J.S.A. 40:55D-10b).
G. 
All notices hereinabove specified in this section shall be given at least 10 days prior to the date fixed for hearing, and the applicant shall file an affidavit of proof of services with the Board holding the hearing on the application for development.
H. 
Any notice made by certified mail as hereinabove required shall be deemed complete upon mailing in accordance with the provisions of N.J.S.A. 40:55D-14.
I. 
Form of notice. All notices required to be given pursuant to the terms of this chapter shall state the date, time and place of the hearing, the nature of the matters to be considered, identification of the property proposed for development by street address, if any, or by reference to lot and block numbers as shown on the current tax duplicate in the Municipal Tax Assessor's office and the location and times at which any maps and documents for which approval is sought are available as required by law.
J. 
Public notice as set forth above shall also be required for a required for a request that the Planning Board exercise its authority under § 85-23A(2) of this chapter and/or N.J.S.A. 40:55D-70(b) to hear and decide requests for interpretation of the Zoning Map or ordinance or for decisions upon other special questions upon which such board is authorized to pass by any zoning or official map ordinance.
Pursuant to the provisions of N.J.S.A. 40:55D-12c, the administrative officer of the municipality shall, within seven days after receipt of a request therefor and upon receipt of payment of a fee of $10, make and certify a list from the current tax duplicate of names and addresses of owners to whom the applicant is required to give notice pursuant to § 85-31B of this chapter.
[Amended 8-13-1991 by Ord. No. 7-91]
A. 
The Planning Board shall include findings of fact and conclusions based thereon in each decision on any application for development and shall reduce the decision to writing. The Board shall provide the findings and conclusions through:
[Amended 4-11-995 by Ord. No. 3-95]
(1) 
A resolution adopted at a meeting held within the time period provided in this chapter for action by the Board on the application for development; or
(2) 
A memorializing resolution adopted at a meeting held not later than 45 days after the date of the meeting at which the Board voted to grant or deny approval. Only members of the Board who voted for the action taken may vote on the memorializing resolution, and the vote of a majority of such members present at the meeting at which the resolution is presented for adoption shall be sufficient to adopt the resolution. An action pursuant to Section 5 of the Municipal Land Use Act (N.J.S.A. 40:55D-9) (resulting from the failure of a motion to approve an application) shall be memorialized by resolution as provided above, with those members voting against the motion for approval being the members eligible to vote on the memorializing resolution. The vote on any such resolution shall be deemed to be a memorialization of the action of the Board and not to be inaction of the Board; however, the date of the adoption of the resolution shall constitute the date of the decision for purposes of the mailings, filings and publications required by this chapter. If the Board fails to adopt a resolution or memorializing resolution as hereinabove specified, any interested party may apply to the Superior Court in a summary manner for an order compelling the municipal agency to reduce its findings and conclusions in writing within a stated time, and the cost of the application, including attorneys' fees, shall be assessed against the municipality.
B. 
A copy of the decision shall be mailed by the Board within 10 days of the decision to the applicant or, if represented, then to his attorney, without separate charge. A copy of the decision shall also be mailed to all persons who have requested it and who have paid the fee prescribed by the Board for such service. A copy of the decision shall also be filed in the office of the Municipal Clerk, who shall make a copy of such filed decision available to any interested party upon payment of a fee calculated in the same manner as those fees established for copies of other public documents in the municipality. A copy of the decision shall also be provided by the Board to the Municipal Tax Assessor's office.
[Amended 4-11-995 by Ord. No. 3-95]
A brief notice of every final decision shall be published in the official newspaper of the municipality. Such publication shall be arranged by the Secretary of the Planning Board without separate charge to the applicant. Said notice shall be sent to the official newspaper for publication within 10 days of the date of any such decision. Nothing contained in this section shall be construed as preventing the applicant from arranging such publication if he so desires. The period of time in which an appeal of the decision may be made shall run from the first publication of the decision, whether arranged by the Borough or the applicant.
[Amended 4-11-1995 by Ord. No. 3-95]
Pursuant to the provisions of N.J.S.A. 40:55D-39 and 40:55D-65, every application for development submitted to the Planning Board shall be accompanied by proof that no tax assessment for local improvements is due, or, if it is shown that taxes or assessments are delinquent on said property, any approvals or other relief granted by either Board shall be conditioned upon either the prompt payment of such taxes or assessments or the making of adequate provisions for the payment thereof in such manner that the municipality will be adequately protected.
[Added 8-13-1991 by Ord. No. 7-91]
A. 
All applications for development must be submitted on the forms supplied by the respective Board Secretary and shall be accompanied by the fees required by this chapter.
B. 
An application for development shall be complete for purposes of commencing the applicable time period for action by a Board when so certified by the Board or its authorized committee or designee. In the event that the Board, committee or designee does not certify the application to be complete within 45 days of the date of its submission, the application shall be deemed complete upon the expiration of the forty-five-day period for purposes of commencing the applicable time period for action by the Board, unless the application lacks information indicated on a checklist adopted by ordinance and provided to the applicant or the Board or its authorized committee or designee has notified the applicant, in writing, of the deficiencies in the application within 45 days of submission of the application. The applicant may request that one or more of the submission requirements be waived, in which event the Board or its authorized committee shall grant or deny the request within 45 days. Nothing herein shall be construed as diminishing the applicant's obligation to prove in the application process that he is entitled to approval of the application. The municipal agency may subsequently require correction of any information found to be in error and submission of additional information not specified in the ordinance or any revisions in the accompanying documents, as are reasonably necessary to make an informed decision as to whether the requirements necessary for approval of the application for development have been met. The application shall not be deemed incomplete for lack of such additional information or any revision in the accompanying documents so required by the Board.