[HISTORY:[1] Adopted by the Township Council of the Township of Lopatcong 12-4-2013 by Ord. No.
2013-11. Amendments noted where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Officers and employees — See Ch. 35.
[1]
Editor's Note: Former Ch. 19, Economic Development Committee,
adopted 8-16-1989 by Ord. No. 1989-13, was repealed 12-27-2001 by
Ord. No. 2001-45.
There is hereby established the Economic Development Advisory
Committee of the Township of Lopatcong, County of Warren, State of
New Jersey.
The Committee shall consist of not more than nine members and
shall be a body corporate having the powers enumerated herein. In
addition, there shall be two alternates to the Committee.
A.
The members of the Committee shall be appointed by the Mayor with
the consent of the Council of the Township of Lopatcong. Each member
shall be, for the last five years preceding this appointment, a citizen
of the United States and a qualified voter of the State of New Jersey.
One member shall be appointed for one year, two members for two years,
two members for three years, two members for four years and two members
for five years. Thereafter the term of each member shall be five years.
In addition, two alternates shall be appointed, one for one year and
one for two years. Thereafter the term of each alternate member shall
be two years. Vacancies in the membership of the Committee, occurring
for whatever cause, shall be promptly filled by appointment by the
Mayor for the unexpired term thereof. Members shall serve for their
respective terms and until their successors are appointed and qualified.
No more than five members shall be from the same political party.
A member of the governing body of the municipality shall not be appointed
as a member of the Committee.
B.
Each member shall be chosen with a special view to his/her qualifications
and fitness for service on the Committee. He/she shall have had experience
in industry or commerce and shall be conversant with the economic
development needs and facilities of the Township of Lopatcong and
shall be of known devotion to public service.
C.
There shall be appointed upon said Committee, unless local conditions
shall otherwise require, one representative of industry or commerce,
a representative of labor, one representative of banking or insurance,
a representative of the Chamber of Commerce or a local business, a
representative of the service clubs of such municipality, a representative
of the legal profession and a representative of a recognized real
estate dealers' association.
D.
No member, officer or employee of the Committee shall be interested,
directly or indirectly, in any contracts for work or materials used
by the Committee or in any sales, leases or agreements in connection
with lands, building or other property owned or controlled by it or
in any fees or compensation of any kind paid to any broker, architect,
engineer, merchant or other person doing business with the Committee
member in any other transaction of or with the Committee or the benefits
or profits thereof.
E.
Each member and officer of the Committee shall, before assuming office,
take and subscribe an oath that he/she will faithfully and impartially
discharge the duties of his/her office.
F.
The Mayor shall choose annually from among the members of the Economic
Development Advisory Committee a Chair and Vice Chair. The Mayor of
the Township of Lopatcong shall be ex officio a member of the Committee,
but he/she shall not have voting privileges.
G.
A majority of the members shall constitute a quorum of the Committee.
H.
The members and officers may be required to furnish bonds to the
Committee to secure the faithful discharge of their duties, in form,
amount and with such surety as may from time to time be required by
resolution of the Council of the Township of Lopatcong.
A.
Insofar as may be practicable, the employees and assistants required
by the Committee shall be recruited from the public officers and employees
of the municipality served by the Committee; the Municipal Engineer
shall be the Engineer of the Committee; and the several departments
of the municipal government shall be available to the Committee for
the purposes of the Committee's business. Municipal employees
serving the Committee shall do so without compensation, other than
their regular compensation as employees of the municipality. The Committee
shall, from time to time, make known to the Mayor of the Township
of Lopatcong its wants in the nature of services by employees of the
municipality, and the Mayor shall designate which of the municipality's
employees, if any, shall render such services.
B.
To the extent that the Committee 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 at such compensation
as may be approved by resolution of the Council of the Township of
Lopatcong. Its requirements in this direction shall be submitted from
time to time, in writing, to the Council of the Township of Lopatcong.
C.
The Committee shall have and maintain a suitable office where its
maps, plans, documents, and records shall be kept, subject to public
inspection during reasonable business hours of the Committee. If practicable,
existing office facilities of the municipality served by the Committee
shall be used without charge by the municipality, and the office and
similar equipment of the municipality shall, wherever possible, be
made available for the use of the Committee without charge.
To effectuate its purposes, the Committee hereby created shall
have the following powers:
A.
To adopt suitable bylaws for the management of its affairs. All bylaws
must be approved by Township Council.
B.
To inquire into, survey and publicize the extent, advantages and
utility of the vacant land of the Township, whether municipality-owned
or otherwise.
C.
To study and analyze the various industries of the nation and, to
the extent it deems necessary for its purposes, the industries and
businesses of other nations, with a view to ascertaining the opportunities
for the commercial expansion of the Township. In this connection,
the reports, records, statistics, compendia and similar documents
of existing federal, state, county, municipal and other governmental
and public agencies, as well as of responsible private institutions,
boards, agencies and similar bodies interested in the compilation
of the information relating to industry and business, shall be resorted
to, wherever possible, in order to avoid original research and gathering
of source material.
D.
To recommend to the Township Council the methods of advertising the
commercial advantages and opportunities of the Township of Lopatcong
in the County of Warren and the availability of real estate within
the Township for commercial settlement within the Township.
E.
To investigate the availability of state or federal grants which
may be available for general community development and particularly
for development of commercial and industrial enterprises within the
Township.
F.
Make such additional studies as may be desirable and necessary to
attract commercial ratables to the Township and to perform such other
functions as may be directed from time to time by the Township Council.
G.
Such Committee shall recommend to Council that it make an economic
survey, analyzing the present and potential possibilities of the municipality,
with a view to ascertaining its commercial needs. In carrying out
such a survey, the Committee shall study the needs of existing local
businesses 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 round out and enlarge the business within
the municipality with a view to diversifying and stabilizing employment
conditions. The Committee may recommend any investigation deemed necessary
to enable it effectually to carry out the provisions of this chapter,
and, for that purpose, the Committee may take and hear proofs and
testimony and compel the attendance of witnesses and the production
of books, papers, records and documents, including public records,
and its authorized agents may enter upon any lands as in its judgment
may be necessary for the purpose of making surveys and examination
to accomplish any purpose authorized by this chapter.
H.
No Committee created under this chapter shall have any power of condemnation
or eminent domain.
I.
No Committee created under this chapter shall have power to pledge
the credit of the municipality by which it is created or of any other
municipality or of the State of New Jersey or to create any debt against
or in any manner act as the agent of such municipality or of the State
of New Jersey.
The Economic Development Advisory Committee shall make an annual
report to the Council of the Township of Lopatcong, setting forth
in detail its operations and transactions for the preceding 12 months,
and shall include therein its receipts and disbursements during that
period, if any. A copy of the report shall be filed in the office
of the Municipal Clerk and be open to public inspection during the
regular business hours of the Clerk's office.
The Economic Development Advisory Committee shall meet at least
quarterly and at the call of the Chairperson.
