Township (New Jersey)

A township, in the context of New Jersey local government, refers to one of five types and one of eleven forms of municipal government. A Borough (sometimes abbreviated Boro on road signs in the context of New Jersey local government refers to one of five types and one of eleven A City in the context of New Jersey local government refers to one of five types and one of eleven forms of municipal government A Town in the context of New Jersey local government refers to one of five types and one of eleven forms of municipal government A Village in the context of New Jersey local government refers to one of five types and one of eleven forms of municipal government The Walsh Act is legislation in the US state of New Jersey that permits municipalities to adopt a Non-partisan commission form of government The 1923 Municipal Manager Law was the last type of reformed municipal government the State of New Jersey introduced in the Progressive era. The Optional Municipal Charter Law or Faulkner Act (NJSA § 4069A-1 et seq The Faulkner Act, or Optional Municipal Charter Law, provides for New Jersey municipalities to adopt a '''Mayor-Council''' government The Faulkner Act, or Optional Municipal Charter Law, provides for New Jersey municipalities to adopt a '''Council-Manager''' government The Faulkner Act, or Optional Municipal Charter Law, provides for New Jersey municipalities to adopt a Small Municipality form of government The Faulkner Act, or Optional Municipal Charter Law, provides for New Jersey municipalities to adopt a Mayor-Council-Administrator form of government A Special Charter allows a New Jersey municipality to operate under a charter that differs from those of the traditional forms of government or the many options available under A Charter Study Commission is one of two options available to residents of New Jersey to pursue a change in their form of government New Jersey ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. Local governments are administrative offices that are smaller than a State. It is a political entity as any typical town, city or municipality, collecting property taxes and providing services such as maintaining roads, garbage collection, water, sewer, schools, police and fire protection. A town is a type of settlement ranging from a few to several thousand (occasionally hundreds of thousands inhabitants although it may be applied loosely even to huge metropolitan A city is an Urban area with a large Population and a particular Administrative, Legal, or Historical status The Township form of local government is used by 27% of New Jersey municipalities.

However, townships in New Jersey differ from townships elsewhere in the United States. A civil township is a widely used unit of Local government in the United States, subordinate to a county. In most states, townships are an intermediate form of government, between county government and municipalities that are subordinate parts of the township, with different government responsibilities allocated at each level. In New Jersey, there are no subordinate municipalities located within a township, as a New Jersey township is a form of municipal government within a county, equal in status to a village, town, borough, or city, all of which may coexist within a county. A Village in the context of New Jersey local government refers to one of five types and one of eleven forms of municipal government A Town in the context of New Jersey local government refers to one of five types and one of eleven forms of municipal government A Borough (sometimes abbreviated Boro on road signs in the context of New Jersey local government refers to one of five types and one of eleven A City in the context of New Jersey local government refers to one of five types and one of eleven forms of municipal government

Municipalities in New Jersey may be classified into one of five types, of which townships are one. Townships may retain the township form of government, or adopt one of the modern forms of government, which are not restricted to a particular type of municipality. In New Jersey, a municipality's name (such as X Township) is not necessarily an indication of its form of government.

In New Jersey, a township is a form of government which consists of a three to five member township committee usually elected at-large in partisan elections. At its organization meeting, held after an election, the committee selects one of its elected members to serve as mayor and preside at meetings. The other members of the township committee serve as commissioners of various township departments, overseeing the work of those areas along with overall legislative issues. Some mayors in this form of government also oversee specific departments. The mayor in this form of government is primarily ceremonial and has the same power as other township committee members. The mayor does hold the powers vested in all mayors under state law. One township committee member is elected deputy mayor each year. Deputy mayor is an elective or appointive office of the second-ranking official in many local governments Some towns with this form of government rotate the mayor's office each year, while others elect the same mayor for 2-3 years in a row.

On road signs, township is often abbreviated TWP or Twp.

History

Historically, a variety of legislation has been passed by the state legislature that has defined and refined the township form of municipal government:

The Township Act of 1798 was the first state legislation to incorporate municipalities. The government defined was a form of direct democracy, similar to the New England town meeting, in which the vote was available to all white males, at least 21 years old, who were citizens of New Jersey, and residents of the township for at least six months; and who paid taxes in the township, or who owned land, or rented a home in the township for a rent of at least five dollars a year. Direct Democracy is a movement within the British Conservative Party dedicated to localism and Constitutional reform as a means of reviving public A town meeting is a meeting where the population of an entire geographic area is invited to participate in a gathering often for a political administrative or legislative purpose A group of five freeholders was elected to one-year terms on the Township Committee, which was responsible to oversee the expenditure of revenue in between town meetings.

The Township Act of 1899 abolished the town meeting and strengthened the role of the Township Committee, which was initially set at three and amended to allow for expansion to five members. Members were elected for staggered three-year terms.

The Home Rule Act of 1917 legally defined the term "municipality" and recognized five types of government: borough, township, city, town, and village and granted each equal legal standing. A Borough (sometimes abbreviated Boro on road signs in the context of New Jersey local government refers to one of five types and one of eleven A City in the context of New Jersey local government refers to one of five types and one of eleven forms of municipal government A Town in the context of New Jersey local government refers to one of five types and one of eleven forms of municipal government A Village in the context of New Jersey local government refers to one of five types and one of eleven forms of municipal government

The Township Act of 1989 simplified the much-amended Act of 1899. It retains a three or five member township committee serving staggered terms, whose members are generally elected at-large. The committee elects a mayor from among its members to serve a one-year term. A mayor (from the Latin māior, meaning "greater" is a modern title used in many countries for the highest ranking officer in a municipal government Partisan elections are allowed under this law. Voters may initiate a referendum to change the membership to consist of either 3 or 5 members. While many township committees directly supervise the operation of their municipality, the revised act allows the committee to delegate all or a portion of its responsibilities to an appointed municipal administrator.

External links

New Jersey State League of Municipalities

A township (or Municipality) is a settlement which has the status and powers of a unit of local government A township in the United States refers to a small geographic area

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History

See also

External links