New Jersey § 13:20-5

§ 13:20-5.

a. The council shall consist of 15 voting members to be appointed and qualified as

follows: (1) Eight residents of the counties of Bergen, Hunterdon, Morris, Passaic, Somerset,

Sussex, or Warren, appointed by the Governor, with the advice and consent of the Senate,

(a) no more than four of whom shall be of the same political party, (b) of whom five

shall be municipal officials residing in the Highlands Region and holding elective

office at the time of appointment and three shall be county officials holding elective

office at the time of appointment, and (c) among whom shall be (i) at least one resident

from each of the counties of Bergen, Hunterdon, Morris, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex,

and Warren, and (ii) two residents from the county that has the largest population

residing in the Highlands Region, of whom no more than one shall be of the same political

party; and (2) Seven residents of the State, of whom five shall be appointed by the Governor,

with the advice and consent of the Senate, one shall be appointed by the Governor

upon the recommendation of the President of the Senate, and one shall be appointed

by the Governor upon the recommendation of the Speaker of the General Assembly. The members appointed pursuant to this paragraph shall have, to the maximum extent

practicable, expertise, knowledge, or experience in water quality protection, natural

resources protection, environmental protection, agriculture, forestry, land use, or

economic development, and at least four of them shall be property owners, business

owners, or farmers in the Highlands Region or residents or nonresidents of the Highlands

Region who benefit from or consume water from the Highlands Region. b. (1) Council members shall serve for terms of five years; provided, however, that

of the members first appointed, five shall serve a term of three years, five shall

serve a term of four years, and five shall serve a term of five years. The initial terms of the two council members appointed by the Governor upon the

recommendation, respectively, of the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the

General Assembly shall be among those council members assigned initial terms of five

years pursuant to this paragraph. (2) Each member shall serve for the term of the appointment and until a successor

shall have been appointed and qualified. Any vacancy shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment for the

unexpired term only. c. Any member of the council may be removed by the Governor, for cause, after a public

hearing. d. Each member of the council, before entering upon the member's duties, shall take

and subscribe an oath to perform the duties of the office faithfully, impartially,

and justly to the best of the member's ability, in addition to any oath that may be

required by R.S.41:1-1 et seq. A record of the oath shall be filed in the Office of the Secretary of State. e. The members of the council shall serve without compensation, but the council may,

within the limits of funds appropriated or otherwise made available for such purposes,

reimburse its members for necessary expenses incurred in the discharge of their official

duties. f. The powers of the council shall be vested in the members thereof in office. A majority of the total authorized membership of the council shall constitute a

quorum and no action may be taken by the council except upon the affirmative vote

of a majority of the total authorized membership of the council. No alternate or designee of any council member shall exercise any power to vote

on any matter pending before the council. g. The Governor shall designate one of the members of the council as chairperson. The council shall appoint an executive director, who shall be the chief administrative

officer thereof. The executive director shall serve at the pleasure of the council, and shall be

a person qualified by training and experience to perform the duties of the office. h. The members and staff of the council shall be subject to the “New Jersey Conflicts

of Interest Law,” P.L.1971, c. 182 ( C.52:13D-12 et seq. ). i. The council shall be subject to the provisions of the “Open Public Meetings Act,”

P.L.1975, c. 231 ( C.10:4-6 et seq. ). j. A true copy of the minutes of every meeting of the council shall be prepared and

forthwith delivered to the Governor. No action taken at a meeting by the council shall have force or effect until 10

days, exclusive of Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays, after a copy of the minutes

shall have been so delivered; provided, however, that no action taken with respect

to the adoption of the regional master plan, or any portion or revision thereof, shall

have force or effect until 30 days, exclusive of Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays,

after a copy of the minutes shall have been so delivered. If, in the 10-day period, or 30-day period, as the case may be, the Governor returns

the copy of the minutes with a veto of any action taken by the council at the meeting,

the action shall be null and void and of no force and effect.