[Amended by Ord. No. 93-7]
The Township Council shall consist of five members, one of whom shall be the Mayor elected directly by the voters. The Mayor and one other member shall be elected at-large, the other three members shall be elected from the wards. The member of Council elected at-large shall also be the Deputy Mayor.
[Amended by Ord. No. 88-20]
A. 
Each Council member shall serve a term of four years unless elected to fill an unexpired term.
B. 
Municipal elections shall be held every two years. At the first municipal election after the passage of the referendum amending the Township's Charter changing elections from May to November, the Mayor and other at-large Council member shall be elected for four years and the three ward Council members for two years. All subsequent terms of the Mayor, Council member at large and ward Council members shall be four years.
C. 
The municipal election shall be partisan and held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. The next municipal election after the passage of the referendum amending the Township's Charter changing elections from May to November shall be the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November 1988.
D. 
Council members shall take office on January 1, next following their election.
The Mayor shall:
A. 
Preside at all meetings of the Township Council and shall have a voice and vote in its proceedings.
B. 
Execute all bonds, notes, contracts and written obligations of the municipality authorized by the Township Council.
C. 
Appoint all members of the Environmental Commission pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40:56A-1.
D. 
Appoint the Class II member of the Planning Board.
E. 
Exercise such other ceremonial powers which are traditionally inherent to the office or delegated by Council.
In the event of the inability of the Mayor to act for any reason, Council shall designate a Council member to act as Mayor during the Mayor's absence or disability.
[Amended by Ord. No. 88-2010-17-2005 by Ord. No. 2005-22; 2-6-2012 by Ord. No. 2012-01; 10-7-2013 by Ord. No. 2013-20; 2-19-2025 by Ord. No. 2025-03]
A. 
Meetings.
(1) 
Township Council shall reorganize annually during the first seven days of January.
(2) 
Township Council shall meet no less than twice each month.
(3) 
Regular meetings shall be held at the Lower Township Hall, or at such other place as may be designated by the Township Council from time to time.
(4) 
Special meetings of the Council shall be called by the Mayor upon the written request of three Council members. The Mayor may also call a special meeting of Council at his or her discretion (N.J.S.A. 40:69A-179).
(5) 
The Township Council shall annually designate the dates and times for regular meetings.
(6) 
Township meetings shall generally be conducted in accordance with Robert's Rules of Order, newly revised.
B. 
Powers and duties.
(1) 
Continue or create, and determine and define the powers and duties of such executive and administrative departments, boards and offices, as it may deem necessary for the proper and efficient conduct of the affairs of the Township. Any department, board or office so continued or created may at any time be abolished by the Township Council.
(2) 
Organize and regulate the internal affairs of the Township, establish and abolish offices and positions, define the functions, powers and duties thereof, and fix their term, tenure and compensation.
(3) 
Execute all laws and ordinances of the municipality.
(4) 
Policy.
(a) 
The Township Council shall structure all local policy except where preempted by federal or state law.
(b) 
In accordance with N.J.S.A. 40:69A-91, the Township Council shall act in all matters as a body, and no member of Council shall seek to individually influence the official acts of the Township Manager, or any other officer, or for the Council or any of its members to direct or request the appointment of any person to, or his removal from, office, or to interfere in any way with the performance by such officers of their duties. The Council and its members shall deal solely through the Manager and shall not give orders to any subordinates of the Manager, either publicly or privately. Any Council member violating the provisions of this section shall, upon conviction thereof in a court of competent jurisdiction, be disqualified as a Council member.
(c) 
The Township Council may appoint committees or commissioners of its own members or its citizens to conduct investigations into the conduct of any officer or department, or any matter relating to the welfare of the Township, and delegating to such committees or commissioners such powers of inquiry as the Council may deem necessary.
(d) 
Attendance policy.
[1] 
The Mayor and Councilmembers are expected to attend regular and special meetings at the time and place where said meetings are held and for the entirety of each meeting. If attendance is not possible, notification is to be made to the Township Manager and the Township Clerk prior to the scheduled meeting.
[2] 
Attendance shall be taken at all meetings and reflected in the minutes of all meetings which will subsequently be posted to the Township's website.
(e) 
Training.
[1] 
Newly elected members of Council are strongly encouraged to complete the Rutgers University Course for Newly Elected Officials during the first year of their term, and all members of Council are encouraged to continue their municipal government education by completing the courses necessary to complete the Municipal Elected Officials Certificate Program offered by the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at the Rutgers Center for Government Service or any comparable program offered through the New Jersey League of Municipalities.
[2] 
Records of all courses taken shall be furnished to the Municipal Clerk and shall be available for public inspection. The Township shall pay for all tuition costs and travel expenses incurred by the member of Council in completing these courses upon providing adequate documentation to substantiate the expenses.
[3] 
Elected officials are required to attend, on an annual basis, at least one instructional course, approved for continuing education credits by DLGS, covering the responsibility and obligations of elected officials.
(f) 
E-mail communications.
[1] 
In keeping with the Open Public Meetings Act (OPMA), e-mail communications should, as far as practicable, not include an effective majority of the governing body and should never include an effective majority of the governing body where discussion of information related to the business of the Township is involved. "Discussion" should be distinguished from a single e-mail that simply provides information.
[2] 
Where e-mail communications do include an effective majority of the governing body, such communications should almost universally not include any request for information in response. The provision of information to the entire governing body (e.g. copies of agendas, etc.) should specifically indicate that there should be no e-mail reply or other communication contrary to the OPMA.
[3] 
In the rare instance where a response is requested, such request must not involve any decisionmaking or deliberative function of the governing body or otherwise address Township business that is subject to the OPMA and shall not be made to the entire list of e-mail addressees, so that even the appearance of impropriety may be avoided. Instances such as this should be extremely rare and should only be informational. (E.g. "I am attending the seminar on the 21st; if anyone else is going or wants information, please let me know.") Substantive matters of public business must never be the subjects of an e-mail discussion between or among an effective majority of the governing body. Utilizing a third party, such as the Clerk, does not change the requirements of the OPMA.
[4] 
"Rolling" e-mail conversations must also be avoided. One member of the governing body or a third party may not contact other members via e-mail individually to successively discuss or gain opinions on an item of Township business. This applies to other forms of electronic communications as well.
[5] 
Members of the governing body or other Township officials providing information to the governing body are encouraged to use the "bcc" function or other similar function in order to eliminate or minimize the prospects of a bulk reply that might increase the potential for communications that might implicate the requirements of the OPMA.
(5) 
Appointments.
(a) 
The Township Council shall appoint the following officials to the following terms:
[1] 
The Township Council shall appoint a Municipal Clerk. The term of the Municipal Clerk shall be three years, which shall run from January in the year in which the Clerk is appointed. The Municipal Clerk may attain tenure according to law.
[2] 
The Township Council shall annually, during the first seven days of January of each year, appoint a Township Solicitor. The Township Solicitor shall serve for one year from the date on which he or she is appointed or until his or her successor is named, whichever period is longer.
[3] 
The Township Council shall appoint a Township Manager. The Township Manager shall serve for an indefinite term as more specifically provided in § 3-21C.
[4] 
The Township Council shall participate in the appointment of the Township Tax Assessor if, and in the manner, prescribed by law.
(b) 
The Township Council shall provide the method of appointment to the following boards and authorities:
[1] 
Zoning Board of Adjustment.
[2] 
Township Municipal Utilities Authority.
[3] 
Board of Health.
[4] 
The Class III and IV members and all alternate nominees of the Township Planning Board.
(6) 
Budget. Upon submission by the Township Manager of the municipal budget to the Council, the Council may amend any item or items of such budget by complying with procedures delineated in N.J.S.A. 40A:4-9.
(7) 
Compensation. The Township Council shall be paid an annual salary as provided in the annual Salary Ordinance in the same manner as all other officers and employees.
C. 
Salaries of Mayor and Council.
(1) 
The salaries of the Mayor and Council shall be established in accordance with the provisions of N.J.S.A. 40A:9-165 in compliance with the terms and conditions of this subsection.
(2) 
The salaries of the Mayor and Council shall be reviewed on an as needed, and same may be adjusted through the adoption of a salary ordinance, periodically in accordance with the provisions of N.J.S.A. 40A:9-165 and the New Jersey Faulkner Act, N.J.S.A. 40:69A-1 et seq.
(3) 
All discussions and actions regarding modifications to the salaries of the Mayor and Council shall take place at an open public council meeting, duly scheduled and advertised in accordance with the provisions of the New Jersey Open Public Meetings Act, N.J.S.A. 10:4-6.