40:37C-4. Industrial pollution control financing authority; purposes; creation by counties; approval; dissolution; filing of resolutions; members; organization

a. Any county may create an authority under the provisions of this act which shall be a public body corporate and politic and a political subdivision of the State for the purpose of acquiring, constructing, reconstructing, repairing, altering, improving, extending, owning, leasing, financing, selling, maintaining, operating and disposing of pollution control facilities within such county; provided that, with respect to any pollution control facility which is not engaged in resource recovery, the Department of Environmental Protection certifies that the proposed undertaking of the authority is the proper method of solving the problem under consideration; and provided further that, with respect to any pollution control facility which is engaged in resource recovery, the facility conforms to the Statewide solid waste management plan and the applicable district solid waste management plan and has an approved registration statement and engineering design pursuant to section 5 of P.L.1970, c. 39 (C. 13:1E-5).

b. The authority shall be created by resolution and shall be known as the " Pollution Control Financing Authority of ," inserting all or any significant part of the name of the county creating the authority. The authority shall constitute an agency and instrumentality of the county creating it.

c. An authority shall consist of five members appointed by resolution of the governing body of the county which created such authority.

Members shall serve for terms of 5 years, provided that the members first appointed shall be designated by the resolution of appointment to serve for terms expiring on the first days of the first, second, third, fourth and fifth Februarys next ensuing after such appointment. Each member shall hold office for the term of his appointment and until his successor shall have been appointed and qualified. Any vacancy shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment but for the unexpired term only.

d. The governing body of any county which has created an authority may dissolve the authority by resolution on condition that the authority has no debts or obligations outstanding or that provision has been made for the retirement of such debts or obligations. Upon any such dissolution, all property, funds and assets of the authority shall be vested in the county which created the authority.

e. A certified copy of each resolution creating or dissolving an authority and each resolution appointing members thereto shall be filed in the office of the Secretary of State. A copy of any such certified resolution, certified by or on behalf of the Secretary of State, shall be conclusive evidence of the due and proper creation or dissolution of the authority or the due and proper appointment of the member or members named therein.

f. The powers of an authority shall be vested in the members thereof from time to time and three members shall constitute a quorum. Action may be taken and motions and resolutions adopted by an agency at any meeting thereof by the affirmative vote of at least three members of the authority.

No vacancy in the membership of an authority shall impair the right of a quorum of the members thereof to exercise all the powers and perform all the duties of the authority.

g. At the first meeting of any authority and thereafter on or after February 1 in each year, the members shall elect from among their number a chairman and vice chairman who shall hold office until February 1 next ensuing and until their respective successors have been appointed and qualified. Every authority also may appoint, without regard to the provisions of Title 11 of the Revised Statutes, a secretary, treasurer and such other officers, agents and employees as it may require.

h. The members of an authority shall serve without compensation, but the authority shall reimburse its members for actual expenses necessarily incurred in the discharge of their official duties.

i. No member, officer or employee of an authority, nor member of their family, shall have or acquire any interest, direct or indirect in any pollution control facilities undertaken or planned by the authority or in any contract or proposed contract for materials or services to be furnished to or used by the authority, but neither the holding of any office or employment in the government of any county or municipality or under any law of the State shall be deemed a disqualification for membership in or employment by an authority, except as may be specifically provided by law, and members of the governing body of a county may be appointed by such governing body and may serve as members of the authority. A member may be removed only by the governing body by which he was appointed for inefficiency or neglect of duty or misconduct in office or conviction of a crime, and after he shall have been given a copy of the charges against him and, not sooner than 10 days thereafter, had the opportunity in person or by counsel to be heard thereon by such governing body.

L.1973, c. 376, s. 4, eff. Jan. 9, 1974. Amended by L.1983, c. 298, s. 5, eff. Aug. 8, 1983.