No member of the Planning Board or Board of Adjustment shall
act on any matter in which he has either directly or indirectly any
personal or financial interest. Whenever any such member shall disqualify
himself from acting on a particular matter, he shall not continue
to sit with the Board on the hearing of such matter nor participate
in any discussion or decision relating thereto.
A.
Meetings of both the Planning Board and the Zoning Board of Adjustment
shall be scheduled no less often than once a month, and any meeting
so scheduled shall be held as scheduled unless canceled for lack of
applications for development to process.
B.
Special meetings may be provided for at the call of the Chairman
or on the request of any two Board members, which meetings shall be
held on notice to its members and the public in accordance with all
applicable legal requirements.
C.
No action shall be taken at any meeting without a quorum being present.
D.
All actions shall be taken by majority vote of a quorum except as
otherwise required by any provision of c. 291, P.L. 1975.
E.
All regular meetings and all special meetings shall be open to the
public. Notice of all such meetings shall be given in accordance with
the requirements of the Open Public Meetings Law, c. 231, P.L. 1975.
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 the reasons therefor.
The minutes shall thereafter be made available for public inspection
during normal business hours at the office of the Municipal 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 may be charged
a fee for reproduction of the minutes for his use as provided for
in the rules of the Board.
[Amended 8-11-87 by Ord. No. 87-17; 8-22-17 by Ord. No. 2017-21]
The following fees are hereby established and shall be paid
by applicants for service rendered by the Planning Board and the Zoning
Board of Adjustment:
A.
Rules. The Planning Board and Zoning Board of Adjustment may make
rules governing the conduct of hearings before such bodies, which
rules shall not be inconsistent with the provisions of N.J.R.S. 40:55D-1
et seq. or of this chapter.
B.
Oaths. The officer presiding at the hearing or such person as he
may designate shall have power to administer oaths and issue subpoenas
to compel the attendance of witnesses and the production of relevant
evidence, including witnesses and documents presented by the parties,
and the provisions of the County and Municipal Investigations Law
(N.J.R.S. 2A:67A-l et seq.) shall apply.
C.
Testimony. The testimony of all witnesses relating to an application
for development shall be taken under oath or affirmation by the presiding
officer, and the right of cross-examination shall be permitted to
all interested parties through their attorneys, if represented, or
directly, if not represented, subject to the discretion of the presiding
officer and to reasonable limitations as to time and number of witnesses.
D.
Evidence. Technical rules of evidence shall not be applicable to
the hearing, but the Board may exclude irrelevant, immaterial or unduly
repetitious evidence.
E.
Records. Each Board shall provide for the verbatim recording of the
proceedings by either stenographic, mechanical or electronic means.
The Board shall furnish a transcript or duplicate recording in lieu
thereof on request to any interested party at his expense.
Whenever a hearing is required on an application for development
pursuant to N.J.R.S. 40:55D-1 et seq., the applicant shall give notice
thereof as follows:
A.
Public notice shall be given by publication in the official newspaper
of the municipality at least 10 days prior to the date of the hearing.
B.
Notice shall be given to the owners of all real property, as shown
on the current tax duplicate or duplicates, located within 200 feet
in all directions of the property which is the subject of such hearing
and whether located within or without the municipality in which the
applicant's land is located. Such notice shall be given by serving
a copy thereof on the owner as shown on the said current tax duplicate
or his agent in charge of the property or by mailing a copy thereof
by certified mail to the property owner at his address as shown on
the said current tax duplicate. A return receipt is not required.
Notice to a partnership owner may be made by service upon any partner.
Notice to a corporate owner may be made by service upon its president,
a vice president, secretary or other person authorized by appointment
or by law to accept service on behalf of the corporation.
C.
Notice of all hearings on applications for development involving property located within 200 feet of an adjoining municipality shall be given by personal service or certified mail to the Clerk of such municipality, which notice shall be in addition to the notice required to be given pursuant to § 19-28B of this Article to the owners of lands in such adjoining municipality which are located within 200 feet of the subject premises.
D.
Notice shall be given by personal service or certified mail to the
County Planning Board of a hearing on an application for development
of property adjacent to an existing county road or proposed road shown
on the Official County Map or on the County Master Plan, adjoining
other county land or situated within 200 feet of a municipal boundary.
E.
Notice shall be given by personal service or certified mail to the
Commissioner of Transportation of a hearing on an application for
development of property adjacent to a state highway.
F.
Notice shall be given by personal service or certified mail to the
Director of the Division of State and Regional Planning in the Department
of Community Affairs of a hearing on an application for development
of property which exceeds 150 acres or 500 dwelling units. Such notice
shall include a copy of any maps or documents required to be on file
with the Municipal Clerk pursuant to N.J.R.S. 40:55D-10.
G.
All notices hereinabove specified in this section shall be given
at least 10 days prior to the date fixed for the hearing, and the
applicant shall file an affidavit of proof of service with the Board
holding the hearing on the application for development.
H.
Any notice made by certified mail as hereinabove required shall be
deemed to be complete upon mailing in accordance with the provisions
of N.J.R.S. 40:55D-14.
I.
Form of notice. All notices required to be given pursuant to the
terms of this chapter shall state the date, time and place of the
hearing; the nature of the matters to be considered; identification
of the property proposed for development by street address, if any,
or by reference to lot and block numbers as shown on the current tax
duplicate in the Municipal Tax Assessor's office; and the location
and times at which any maps and documents for which approval is sought
are available as required by law.
Pursuant to the provisions of N.J.R.S. 40:55D-12c, the Tax Collector of the town shall, within seven days after receipt of a request therefor and upon receipt of payment of a fee of $10, make and certify a list from the current tax duplicate of names and addresses of owners to whom the applicant is required to give notice pursuant to Article III, § 19-28B, of this chapter.
A.
Each decision on any application for development shall be set forth
in writing as a resolution of the Board, which resolution shall include
findings of fact and legal conclusions based thereon.
B.
A copy of the decision shall be mailed by the Board within 10 days
of the date of decision to the applicant or, if represented, then
to his attorney, without separate charge. A copy of the decision shall
also be mailed to all persons who have requested it and who have paid
the fee prescribed by the Board for such service. A copy of the decision
shall also be filed in the office of the Municipal Clerk, who shall
make a copy of such filed decision available to any interested party
upon payment of a fee calculated in the same manner as those established
for copies of other public documents in the municipality.
A brief notice of every final decision shall be published in
the official newspaper of the municipality. Such publication shall
be arranged by the Secretary of the Planning Board or Zoning Board
of Adjustment, as the case may be, without separate charge to the
applicant. Said notice shall be sent to the official newspaper for
publication within 10 days of the date of any such decision.
Pursuant to the provisions of N.J.R.S. 40:55D-39 and 40:55D-65,
every application for development submitted to the Planning Board
or to the Zoning Board of Adjustment shall be accompanied by proof
that no taxes or assessments for local improvements are due or delinquent
on the property which is the subject of such application, or, if it
is shown that taxes or assessments are delinquent on said property,
any approvals or other relief granted by either Board shall be conditioned
upon either the prompt payment of such taxes or assessments or the
making of adequate provision for the payment thereof in such manner
that the municipality will be adequately protected.
