[Adopted 3-3-2014 by Ord. No. 2014-1]
A. 
There is hereby established an Accessibility Committee which shall be made up of a total of seven members. It shall be composed of five citizens of the Borough who shall serve without compensation, plus a member of the Borough Council, to be appointed by the Mayor, who shall serve as liaison from year to year, and a member of the Senior Citizen Commission who shall be annually appointed by the Senior Citizen Commission to serve as a member. In addition to the seven aforementioned members, the Borough shall also request that the Metuchen Chamber of Commerce annually appoint a member of the Chamber of Commerce to act as a liaison to the Accessibility Committee.
B. 
Members of the Committee shall be representative of the community and shall include, to the extent feasible, individuals having experience in living with a disability or caring for a person who has a disability. All five citizen members shall serve, on a staggered basis, for a term of three years. Initial appointments of the members shall be as follows: one member for three years, two members for two years, and two members for one year; thereafter, each appointed member shall serve a three-year term.
All five citizen members shall be nominated by the Mayor and confirmed with the advice and consent of the Borough Council. The Borough Council liaison shall be designated every year at the annual reorganization meeting of the Borough by the Mayor. All members shall serve until their successors are duly appointed and qualified. The members of the Accessibility Committee shall designate one of its citizen members as Chairperson, and that individual shall serve until the first day of January next following that election and until his or her successor shall be appointed and qualified. Vacancies occurring other than by the expiration of the term shall be filled in the manner prescribed therein, but only for the balance of the unexpired term.
The Accessibility Committee shall have the following powers and duties:
A. 
To establish, amend and supplement its own bylaws to govern its structure, operations and activities to the extent not inconsistent with this article or any other local, state or federal regulation or law.
B. 
To make recommendations to the Mayor and Council of the Borough of Metuchen in order for the Mayor and Council to address issues with other Borough agencies, including the Metuchen Chamber of Commerce, with respect to any matters relating to the accessibility of public accommodation for the disabled in the Borough of Metuchen.
C. 
To make recommendations to the Mayor and Council in order for the Mayor and Council to address such recommendations with all other boards, commissions and agencies with respect to programs to assist individuals with disabilities.
D. 
To coordinate through the Administrator cooperation with other commissions and departments of the Borough of Metuchen to promote accessible activities and programs.
E. 
To identify needs of individuals with disabilities within the Borough of Metuchen.
F. 
To confer, as a body, with any county, state, federal or private agencies involved in programs for individuals with disabilities for the purpose of acquiring information about available services and programs for individuals with disabilities in the Borough of Metuchen.
G. 
To aid the Borough of Metuchen, where necessary, in assisting individuals with disabilities in the Borough of Metuchen where help is sought in connection with issues related to disability and the accessibility of places and programs.
H. 
To make an annual report of its activities to the Mayor and Borough Council and at such other time as the Mayor or Borough Council shall request.
I. 
The Accessibility Committee shall be advisory in nature; neither it nor its members have the authority to contract, bind or act on behalf of the Borough of Metuchen. Its sole function is to assist the Mayor, Council and administration of the Borough of Metuchen in assessing the accessibility of matters in the Borough of Metuchen to the disabled.