There is hereby created with the Township of Pemberton an Economic and Business Development Committee, which shall serve as an advisory council to the Mayor and governing body of the Township of Pemberton and which shall perform such duties as are assigned to it under this article. The Economic and Business Development Committee will be comprised of seven voting members and two nonvoting members.
[Adopted 4-4-1991 by Ord. No. 9-1991; amended 3-20-2024 by Ord. No. 10-2024]
A.
The Committee shall be appointed within 60 days after the effective date of this section.
B.
The term of all Commissioners shall be two years.
C.
Any appointment made after the first meeting in January of an odd year shall be for the balance of the two-year term; to coincide with Mayor and Township Council terms.
D.
Vacancies in the membership of the Economic and Business Development Committee, occurring for whatever cause, shall be promptly filled by appointment in the method described above, for the unexpired term thereof. Members shall serve for the respective terms and until their successors are appointed and qualified.
E.
Each Committee Member shall have expertise in fields such as real estate development, finance, business, law, engineering, or fundraising.
F.
Two of the seven Committee Members shall be non-resident business owners.
G.
The Mayor shall appoint five of the seven Committee Members.
H.
The Township Council shall, by majority vote, select one non-Council member as a Committee Member.
I.
The Township Council shall, by majority vote, select one Council member to serve as a Committee Member.
J.
Vacancies in the membership for any cause shall be filled by appointment of the Mayor for the unexpired terms and until their successors are thereafter appointed and qualified.
Each of the members of the Economic and Business Development Committee shall serve without compensation. However, members shall submit vouchers for any costs incurred by them in the course of performing their duties, including reimbursement for mileage at the rate established by the Internal Revenue Service, and such other expenses as the Mayor and Council deem appropriate.
A.
The Economic and Business Development Committee is established for the purpose of researching, surveying and publicizing the economic resources and advantages of the Township of Pemberton, to advise the Mayor and Council of same, to foster and encourage economic development of the Township, to seek out business, commercial and industrial prospects for location or relocation to the Township of Pemberton and to advise the Mayor and Council of the same.
B.
The duties of the Economic and Business Development Committee shall include the following:
(1)
To research and study the Township's economics of every nature.
(2)
To develop, assemble and distribute pertinent information to the Mayor and governing body, as well as the Township Planning Board, to encourage and assist in the comprehensive economic development of the Township of Pemberton.
(3)
To inventory and study vacant lands in the Township of Pemberton and to classify said lands according to their adaptability for the development thereon of various types of business, commercial or other economically viable enterprises.
(4)
To analyze the commercial business and industrial advantages and opportunities of the Township of Pemberton and the availability of real estate within the Township or commercial business or industrial development and to advise the Mayor and Council of the same with a goal towards attracting business, commercial and industrial projects into the Township of Pemberton.
(5)
To solicit various businesses, commercial or industrial enterprises in an effort to attract them to the Township of Pemberton, and to advise the Mayor and governing body of the same.
(6)
To develop plans and programs to encourage expansion and strengthening of existing business and commercial enterprises, as well as encourage new business and commercial enterprises, in the Township of Pemberton.
(7)
To submit reports to the Mayor and Council regarding any obstacles to expansion of business and commercial enterprises.
(8)
To make recommendations to the Mayor and Council regarding any ways or means by which the Township may assist in meeting the needs of any business developments deemed appropriate.
(9)
To participate in county and regional economic activities as authorized by the Mayor.
(10)
To provide input into the Urban Enterprise Zone Five-Year Plan or any amendments thereto.
(11)
To recommend qualified projects for Urban Enterprise Zone funds based on Urban Enterprise Zone laws and regulations.
(12)
To maintain relationships with business and community organizations which are deemed essential to the success of the various policies, programs and projects of the Township Council.
(13)
To submit an annual report to the Township Council describing Committee activities, programs, and expenditures conducted as well as plans and proposals for the upcoming year, due by March 1 of each year, commencing March 1, 2025.
C.
The Economic and Business Development Committee shall report to the Mayor and Township Council on at least a quarterly basis, advising the Mayor and Council of the nature of the activities undertaken by the Economic and Business Development Committee, the identity of any prospective business, commercial or industrial enterprises with which it has communicated, the outcome of any surveys or reports it has undertaken in furtherance of the goals of developing business, commercial and industrial opportunities within the Township of Pemberton and such other information as it deems appropriate to disseminate to the Mayor and Council. Copies of said reports shall also be submitted to the Pemberton Township Planning Board.
D.
The Economic and Business Development Committee shall not have the power to acquire lands, enter into lease agreements or in any other way bind the Township of Pemberton into any contractual or other obligations. Instead, it shall serve as a purely advisory board to the Mayor and Council, who, in turn, may act upon the advice and recommendations of the Economic and Business Development Committee and shall ultimately be responsible for entering into any contracts, leases or any other form of agreement with prospective business, commercial or industrial enterprises.
A.
The term of any appointee to the Economic and Business Development Committee shall be deemed to terminate and the appointee shall be deemed to have vacated his position upon any one of the following occurrences:
(1)
Upon its being so declared by judicial determination.
(2)
Upon the filing by such appointee of his written resignation.
(3)
Upon the refusal of a person designated for appointment to such office to qualify or serve.
(4)
Upon a determination of the governing body that such appointee shall have become physically or mentally incapable of serving.
(5)
Upon the death of such appointee.
(6)
Upon the determination by the governing body that, in violation of a lawful residency requirement, the appointee no longer resides within the corporate limits of the Township of Pemberton.
(7)
Where such appointee shall have failed to attend three successively called meetings of the Economic and Business Development Committee without being excused by a majority of the authorized members of the Council.
B.
Removal. The governing body shall have the authority to remove any member of the Economic and Business Development Committee for cause or for any other reason prescribed by law. Specifically contemplated herein as grounds for removal (although not limited to) are the following: violation of any rules, regulations or standards of conduct promulgated by the Township's Local Ethics Board; abuse of office; utilization of office for personal economic or financial gain; characterization of and representation of the Township of Pemberton in a disparaging, disadvantageous demeaning or other unproductive and nonpositive fashion. Removal shall not occur until the appointee has received notice from the governing body of its intent to remove him and has had an opportunity to respond to said charges.