40A:12A-53.1. Powers of municipality adopting franchise assessment ordinance

6. For the purposes of the effective administration of the franchise assessment, a municipality adopting a franchise assessment ordinance shall have the power to:

a. Collect the franchise assessment, interest and penalties imposed by an ordinance adopted pursuant to section 4 of P.L.1995, c.173 (C.40A:12A-53) which shall from the time due be a debt of the person by whom payable to the municipality, recoverable in a court of competent jurisdiction in a civil action in the name of the municipality to be instituted within three years of the date due.

b. Authorize, as an additional remedy, the chief financial officer of the municipality to issue a certificate to the clerk of the Superior Court that any person is indebted under the ordinance in an amount stated in the certificate. Thereupon, the clerk to whom the certificate is issued shall immediately enter upon the record of documented judgments the name of the person, the address of the place of business where the franchise assessment liability was incurred, the amount of the debt so certified and the date of making of the entry. The making of the entry shall have the same force and effect as the entry of a documented judgment in the office of the clerk, and the chief financial officer of the municipality shall have all the remedies and may take all the proceedings for the collection of the debt which may be had or taken upon the recovery of a judgment in an action, but without prejudice to the person's right of appeal.

c. Provide that, if for any reason the franchise assessment is not paid when due, interest at the rate of 12% per annum on the amount of the franchise assessment due, and an additional penalty of one-half of 1% of the amount of the unpaid assessment for each month or fraction thereof during which the franchise assessment remains unpaid, shall be added and collected. When action is brought for the recovery of any franchise assessment, the person liable therefor shall, in addition, be liable for the costs of collection and the interest and penalties imposed.

Any aggrieved person may, within 90 days of the entry of the decision, order, finding, assessment or action of the chief financial officer of the municipality under this section, file an appeal in the Superior Court, upon payment of the amount stated by the chief financial officer to be due. The appeal provided by this section shall be the exclusive remedy available to any person for review of a determination of the chief financial officer with respect to a liability for the franchise assessment imposed.

L.1996,c.73,s.6.