No member of the Planning Board or the Zoning Board of Adjustment
shall act on any matter in which the member has, either directly or
indirectly, any personal or financial interest. Whenever any such
member shall be disqualified from acting on a particular matter, the
member shall not continue to sit with the Board on the hearing of
such matter nor participate in any discussion or decision relating
thereto.
All members of the Boards shall serve without compensation.
There are hereby created the offices of Attorney for the Planning
Board and Attorney for the Zoning Board of Adjustment. Each Board
may annually appoint and fix the compensation for its attorney. Such
compensation shall be within the appropriation made by the governing
body. Neither attorney shall be the Township Attorney.
Each Board may employ or contract for and fix the compensation
of such experts and other staff and services as it may deem necessary.
The Board shall not authorize expenditures which exceed, exclusive
of gifts or grants, the amount appropriated by the governing body
for its use.
The Boards shall adopt such rules, regulations and bylaws as
may be necessary to carry into effect the provisions and purposes
of this chapter. In the issuance of subpoenas, administration of oaths
and taking of testimony, the provisions of the County and Municipal
Investigations Law (N.J.S.A. 2A:67A-1 et seq.) shall apply.
Minutes of every regular or special meeting shall be kept and shall include the names of the persons appearing and addressing the Board and of 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 Township 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 shall be charged a fee for reproduction of the minutes for the party's use as provided for in Table IV-1 in §
11-144.