[HISTORY: Adopted by the Township Committee of the Township
of Woolwich 5-6-2013 by Ord. No. 2013-02.[1] Amendments noted where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Boards, committees and commissions — See Ch. 4.
Joint Land Use Board — See Ch. 23.
[1]
Editor's Note: This ordinance also repealed former Ch.
16, Environmental Commission, adopted 8-19-2002 by Ord. No. 02-09.
Be it ordained by the Township Committee of the Township of
Woolwich that the Swedesboro-Woolwich Joint Environmental Commission
is hereby established pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40:56A-1 to 40:56A-12.
A.
A Joint Environmental Commission shall consist of 10 members plus
two alternates. The Mayor of Woolwich Township shall appoint five
members, one of whom shall also be a member of the Joint Land Use
Board plus one alternate and all of whom shall be residents of the
Township of Woolwich. The Mayor of the Borough of Swedesboro shall
appoint five members, one of whom shall also be a member of the Planning/Zoning
Board plus one alternate and all of whom shall be residents of the
Borough of Swedesboro. The members shall serve without compensation
except as hereinafter provided. The Swedesboro-Woolwich Joint Environmental
Commission shall elect one of its members to serve as Chairman and
presiding officer of the Joint Commission. The term of the Chairman
shall be one year. The terms of office of the first commissioners
shall be for one, two or three years, to be designated by the Mayors
in making their appointments, and their successors shall be appointed
for terms of three years and until appointment and qualification of
their successors. The alternates shall be appointed for a term of
one year. The first members of the Joint Commission shall be appointed
for the following terms:
(1)
Two members: one from Woolwich Township, one from the Borough of
Swedesboro, for the one-year term expiring December 31, 2014.
(2)
Four members: two from Woolwich Township, two from the Borough of
Swedesboro, for the two-year term expiring December 31, 2015.
(3)
Four members: two from Woolwich Township, two from the Borough of
Swedesboro, for the three-year term expiring December 31, 2016.
(4)
Two alternates: one from Woolwich Township one from the Borough of
Swedesboro, for a one-year term expiring December 31, 2014.
B.
The governing bodies may remove a member of the Joint Commission
from their own municipality for cause on written charges served upon
the member and after the hearing thereon at which the member shall
be entitled to be heard in person or by counsel. A vacancy on the
Joint Commission occurring otherwise than expiration of a term shall
be filled for the unexpired term in the same manner as an original
appointment.
The Joint Commission is established for the protection, development
or use of natural resources, including water resources, located within
territorial limits of the Township of Woolwich and the Borough of
Swedesboro. The Joint Commission shall have power to conduct research
into the use and possible use of the open land areas of the municipalities
and may coordinate the activities of unofficial bodies organized for
similar purposes, and may advertise, prepare, print, and distribute
books, maps, charts, plans and pamphlets which in its judgment it
deems necessary and prudent for its purposes. It shall keep an index
of all open areas, publicly or privately owned, including open marshland,
swamps and other wetlands, in order to obtain information on the appropriate
use of such areas and may from time to time recommend to the relevant
land use board plans and programs for inclusion in the Master Plan
and the development and use of such areas.
The Joint Environmental Commission may, subject to approval
of both of the governing bodies, acquire property, both real and personal,
in the name of the municipalities by gift, purchase, grant, bequest,
devise or lease for any of its purposes and shall administer the same
for such purposes subject to the terms of the conveyance or gift.
Such an acquisition may be to acquire the fee or any lesser interest,
development right, easement (including conservation easement), covenant
or other contractual right (including a conveyance on conditions or
with limitations or reversions), as may be necessary to acquire, maintain,
improve, protect, limit the future use of, or otherwise conserve and
properly utilize open spaces and other land and water areas in the
municipalities.
The Joint Environmental Commission shall keep records of its
meetings and activities and make an annual report to the governing
bodies.
The Joint Commission may appoint such clerks and other employees
and incur such expenses as it may from time to time require, providing
the same shall be within the limits of funds appropriated to it by
the governing bodies or otherwise available to it. The Borough of
Swedesboro will maintain the funding for the Joint Environmental Commission
between the Borough of Swedesboro and the Township of Woolwich starting
in budget calendar year 2014. The Joint Commission should establish
a funding mechanism to get the yearly funds from Woolwich to Swedesboro.
The Joint Environmental Commission shall have the power to study
and make recommendations concerning open space preservation, water
resources management, air pollution control, solid waste management,
noise control, soil and landscape protection, environmental appearance,
marine resources and protection of flora and fauna.
The Woolwich Township and Borough of Swedesboro Environmental
Commissions shall transfer and convey to the Joint Commission all
assets, monies, books/records, property interests, funding/funding
rights, and all such other property they own and/or control in furtherance
of the combined goals of the heretofore existing Environmental Commissions.
This chapter shall take effect immediately upon its passage
and publication according to law subject to the passage and publication
of the companion ordinance by the Borough of Swedesboro.
