[HISTORY: Adopted by the Township Committee of the Township of Wall 11-8-1978 as Sec. 2-1 of the Revised General Ordinances. Amendments noted where applicable.]
All legislative power of the Township, except in matters of health, shall be exercised by the Township Committee pursuant to law, and in matters of health by the Board of Health.
[Added 4-28-2021 by Ord. No. 7-2021[1]]
As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:
AGENDA
A list of items to be discussed at a formal meeting which gives participants a clear outline of what should happen in the meeting.
GOVERNING BODY
The Township Committee.
MEETING
Includes any gathering whether corporeal or by means of communications equipment, which is attended by, or open to, all of the members of the Township Committee, held with the intent, on the part of the members of the body present, to discuss or act as a unit upon the specific public business of that body. Meeting does not mean or include any such gathering:
A. 
Attended by less than an effective majority of the members of the Township Committee; or
B. 
Attended by or open to all the members of three or more similar public bodies at a convention or similar gathering.
OFFICIAL NEWSPAPERS
Paid, published and circulated in the municipality and, if there be no such newspaper, then in at least one published in the county in which the municipality is located and said newspaper is circulated; the official newspapers which are designated at the reorganizational meeting annually.
PUBLIC BUSINESS
Includes all matters which relate in any way, directly or indirectly, to the performance of the Township Committee's functions or the conduct of its business.
RESOLUTION
Any act or regulation of the governing body that is required to be reduced to writing but which may be finally passed at the meeting at which it is introduced (N.J.S.A. 40:49-1).
[1]
Editor's Note: This ordinance also provided for the redesignation of former §§ 51-2 through 51-10 as §§ 51-3 through 51-11, respectively.
[Amended 4-28-2021 by Ord. No. 7-2021]
The Township Committee shall organize annually during the first week in January, at which time it shall elect a Mayor and Deputy Mayor from among its members. The Mayor shall preside at meetings of the Township Committee and perform such other duties as the Township Committee or state law may prescribe. In the absence or disability of the Mayor, the Deputy Mayor shall perform all of the duties and functions of the Mayor. The Township Committee shall appoint professionals and fill the vacancies on statutory boards, commissions and other municipally created authorities, commissions or advisory boards.
[Amended 4-28-2021 by Ord. No. 7-2021]
The Mayor shall have the power to appoint subcommittees of the Township Committee with the consent of the Township Committee. He shall sign and execute documents and agreements on behalf of the Township. He shall have the power to make proclamations concerning holidays and events of interest to the Township. He shall exercise the ceremonial power of the Township and every other power usually exercised by Township mayors or conferred upon him by law. The Mayor shall preside at meetings of the Township Committee and perform such other duties as the Township Committee or state law may prescribe. In the absence or disability of the Mayor, the Deputy Mayor shall perform all of the duties and functions of the Mayor. In the absence or disability of the Deputy Mayor, the most senior member shall perform all the duties and functions of the Deputy Mayor. For the purpose of this section, the senior member shall be defined as the member with the most consecutive years of service on the Township Committee.
[Amended 4-28-2021 by Ord. No. 7-2021]
A. 
Workshop meetings. The workshop meeting shall be held for the primary purpose of holding detailed discussions of all matters of Township business and interest. The agenda shall provide for the opportunity for each Township Committee and Subcommittee Chair to provide a verbal report on the activities related to their subcommittee. In the event of the absence of the Chair, the Vice Chair of the subcommittee shall provide the report.
B. 
Regular meetings. The Township Committee shall hold its annual organizational meeting during the first week in January. The Committee shall establish a schedule of regular executive and public business meetings by resolution adopted by the Township Committee at its annual organizational meeting or as may be modified from time to time pursuant to law. The regular meeting shall be held for the primary purpose of conducting the Township’s public business, including the taking of action on items necessary for the operations and needs of the Township and its residents. This shall include the introduction and adoption of ordinances and the holding of associated public hearings.
C. 
Special meetings. Special meetings of the Township Committee shall be held as the need therefor arises and shall be held in compliance with the Open Public Meetings Act (N.J.S.A. 10:4-6 et seq.).
D. 
Emergency meeting. Upon the affirmative vote of a majority of the members present, the Township Committee may hold a meeting notwithstanding the failure to provide adequate notice if:
(1) 
A meeting is required in order to deal with matters of such urgency and importance that a delay for the purpose of providing adequate notice would be likely to result in substantial harm to the public interest; and
(2) 
The meeting is limited to discussion of, and acting with respect to, such matters of urgency and importance.
[Amended 4-28-2021 by Ord. No. 7-2021]
All regular and special meetings of the Township Committee shall be open to the public, except for those portions of such meetings which the Committee determines to hold in private session pursuant to the provisions of the Open Public Meetings Act. The rules of procedure to be followed and rules for the consideration of nominations submitted by the Mayor and for the conduct of other business of the Committee shall be provided by resolution. In accordance with N.J.S.A. 10:4-12(a), the Township Committee shall be required to set aside a portion of every meeting of the Township Committee, the length of the portion to be determined by a majority vote of the municipal governing body and set forth in the resolution adopted by the Township Committee at its annual organizational meeting or as may be modified from time to time pursuant to law.
A. 
Items of business, excluding ordinances and as otherwise provided by law, which the Township Committee at its executive meeting has determined to be routine and which do not require discussions shall be included under a single section of the agenda known as the "consent agenda." Such items may be adopted or approved as the case may be collectively, upon a single motion and roll call vote of a majority of the Township Committee voting affirmatively.
B. 
The consent agenda section of the agenda shall be preceded by an explanatory note in substantially the following form: "All matters listed on the consent agenda are considered routine by the Township Committee and will be adopted or approved collectively by a single motion or roll call vote of a majority of the Township Committee. All such items will be available for inspection at the meeting and in the office of the Township Clerk. There will be no separate discussion of these items. If discussion is desired on any item, that item will be considered separately."
A majority of the full membership of the Township Committee shall constitute a quorum; provided, however, that no ordinance shall be adopted by the Township Committee without the affirmative vote of a majority of the full membership of the Committee. If a quorum is not present at the appointed time for any meeting, the presiding officer or the Clerk may declare the meeting adjourned.
The vote upon every ordinance and upon resolutions shall be taken by roll call, and the yeas and nays shall be entered on the minutes. The minutes of each meeting shall be maintained and signed by the Township Clerk.
All ordinances shall be introduced, read, heard and enacted in the manner provided by general law.
[Added 2-26-2014 by Ord. No. 1-2014]
The Mayor and members of the Township Committee shall, within each of their terms of office, attend one or more basic training courses on their responsibilities and obligations as local government officials. Such courses should include the subjects of budgeting, policy setting, local government contracting, risk management, and the Open Public Records Act[1] and may be coordinated through Rutgers University, county government, the New Jersey State League of Municipalities, the New Jersey Association of Counties, the New Jersey Council of Mayors, a local Mayors Association, joint insurance fund, or other qualified instructional provider.
[1]
Editor’s Note: See N.J.S.A. 47:1A-1 et seq.