New Jersey-2020-A2284-Introduced

An Act concerning the transmittal of certain county ordinances and amending P.L.1972, c.154

Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1. Section 101 of P.L.1972, c.154 (C.40:41A-101) is amended to read as follows:

101. a. An ordinance shall mean any act or regulation of the board, except an expense budget or capital budget, required to be reduced to writing, published after introduction, and considered for final passage after public hearing at a meeting subsequent to the meeting at which it was introduced;

b. Except as otherwise provided by general law the procedure for the passage of ordinances shall be as follows:

(1) Every ordinance after being introduced and having passed a first reading, which first reading may be by title, shall be published in its entirety, or by title, or by title and summary, at least once in the manner provided by section 142 of P.L.1972, c.154 (C.40:41A-142), together with a notice of the introduction thereof and the time and place when and where it will be further considered for final passage, and shall consist of a clear and concise statement prepared by the clerk of the board of chosen freeholders setting forth the purpose of the ordinance, and the time and place when and where a copy of the ordinance can be obtained without cost by any member of the general public who wants a copy of the ordinance. If there be only one such publication the same shall be at least 1 week prior to the time fixed for further consideration for final passage. If there be more than one publication, the first shall be at least 1 week prior to the time fixed for further consideration for final passage. A copy of the proposed ordinance shall also be sent by regular mail, or by electronic mail, to the clerk of each municipality in the county not less than 1 week prior to the date of hearing.

(2) At the time and place so stated in such publication, or at any time and place to which the meeting for the further consideration of the ordinance shall from time to time be adjourned, all persons interested shall be given an opportunity to be heard concerning the ordinance. Final passage thereof shall be at least 10 days from the first reading.

(3) Upon the opening of the hearing, the ordinance shall be given a second reading, which reading may be by title, and thereafter, it may be passed by a majority of the whole number of the board, with or without amendments, or rejected. Prior to the said second reading, a copy of the ordinance shall be posted on the bulletin board or other place upon which public notices are customarily posted in the building in which the board regularly meets, and copies of the ordinance shall be made available to members of the general public who shall request such copies. If any amendment be adopted, altering the ordinance, the ordinance as so amended shall not be finally adopted until at least 1 week thereafter, and the ordinance as amended shall be read at a meeting of the board, which reading may be by title, and shall be published in its entirety, or by title, or by title and summary, together with a notice of the introduction, the time and place when and where a copy of the ordinance can be obtained without cost by any member of the general public who wants a copy of the ordinance, a clear and concise statement prepared by the clerk of the board of chosen freeholders setting forth the purpose of the ordinance, and the time and place when and where the amended ordinance will be further considered for final passage, at least 2 days prior to the time so fixed. At the time and place so fixed, or at any other meeting to which the further consideration of the amended ordinance may be adjourned, the board may proceed to pass the ordinance, as amended, or again amend it in the same manner.

(4) Upon passage, every ordinance, or the title, or the title and a summary, together with a notice of the date of passage or approval, or both, shall be published at least once in the manner provided by section 142 of P.L.1972, c.154 (C.40:41A-142).

(5) One certified copy of the full text of every ordinance so adopted shall be filed with the clerk of each municipality within the county not later than 10 days after the date of final passage.

(6) The board may enact, amend or supplement ordinances establishing, amending or supplementing a code or any parts thereof, not inconsistent with law, by reference to such code in any such ordinance and without inclusion of the text thereof in such ordinance if the code to be adopted and any related documents are printed in book form and a copy of such printed code and related documents so marked as to indicate plainly what portion thereof, if less than the whole, is intended to be adopted, is annexed to such ordinance and if such code and related documents or such portion thereof as is intended to be adopted is so described in said ordinance as to identify them and there is indicated in said description the common or trade name, if any, of such code and related documents and it is stated in the ordinance that one copy of said code and said related documents, similarly marked, have been placed on file in the office of the clerk of said board, upon the introduction of said ordinance and will remain on file there until final action is taken on said ordinance, for the use and examination of the public.

It shall not be necessary to publish any such code or related documents, so to be adopted, as part of any such ordinance notwithstanding that a printed copy thereof is annexed thereto, either before or after the final passage of such ordinance, if said printed copy is filed as aforesaid. The board of freeholders however may order the publication of said code or a synopsis in the manner provided by section 142 of P.L.1972, c.154 (C.40:41A-142) if it is deemed that such procedure will be in the public interest because of the content and importance of the provisions of the code.

If any such ordinance is adopted, the said copy of said code and related documents shall remain on file in said office, so long as said ordinance is in effect, and one certified copy shall be placed on file and shall remain on file in the office of each clerk of each municipality within the county, for the use and examination of the public so long as said ordinance is in effect and printed copies of said ordinance and said code and related documents shall be made available to citizens on request and for which a reasonable fee may be charged.

For the purpose of proof of any such ordinance or receipt thereof in evidence in all courts and places, such copy of such code and related documents, so marked and annexed to such ordinance, shall be construed to be part of said ordinance, as fully as though it had been set forth at length therein.

(7) The board may prescribe penalties for the violation of ordinances it may have authority to pass, either by imprisonment in the county jail for any term not exceeding 90 days, or by a fine not exceeding $500.00, or both. The court before which any person is convicted of violating any such ordinance shall have power to impose any fine or term of imprisonment not exceeding the maximum fixed in such ordinance.

Any person convicted of the violation of any ordinance may, in the discretion of the court by which he was convicted, and in default of the payment of any fine imposed therefor, be imprisoned in the county jail for any term not exceeding 90 days for such default.

c. No ordinance shall take effect less than 20 days after its final passage by the board and approval by the county executive, or supervisor or board chairman or president, where such approval is required, unless the board shall adopt a resolution declaring an emergency and at least two-thirds of all the members of the board vote in favor of such resolution.

(cf: P.L.2013, c.118, s.1)

2. This act shall take effect immediately.

STATEMENT

This bill would permit certain proposed county ordinances to be sent to the clerk of each municipality in the county by regular mail or by electronic mail. Current law requires that a copy of a proposed county ordinance issued by the board of freeholders in an optional county charter county be sent by regular mail to the clerk of each municipality in the county. This bill would permit the use of electronic mail to provide a more efficient means of providing municipalities with copies of proposed county ordinances.