[HISTORY: Adopted by the Mayor and Council of the Borough of Ridgefield as indicated in article histories. Amendments noted where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Officers and employees — See Ch. 66.
[Adopted 5-11-2009 by Ord. No. 2096]
This article shall be known as the "Borough of Ridgefield Ethics in Autonomous Boards Act."
A. 
The members of the Borough of Ridgefield's Board of Adjustment, Planning Board and Rent Leveling Board (the "Boards") are engaged in an extremely important purpose affecting the members of our community and our quality of life in every way.
B. 
It is important for members of the Ridgefield community to have complete confidence in the members of the Boards, as these Boards affect the way we live and involve a variety of applications from out-of-town developers and/or interests.
Any application before the Boards requires that all applicants or professionals appearing before either Board to set forth any contribution of money, or pledge of a contribution, including in-kind contributions, to any member of the Board or anyone having ultimate responsibility for the decision affecting the applicant, or campaign committee supporting such candidate or officeholder, or to any Borough of Ridgefield or Bergen County political party committee, or to any political action committee (PAC) that regularly engages in or whose primary purpose is the support of municipal elections and/or municipal parties, in excess of the threshold of $300, within the past three years, indicate said contribution on a separate page appended to the appropriate Board's application, which shall be provided by the secretary to the respective Board with the said application, and shall state at the top of said page:
"Please list all contributions by you or your professionals pertaining to this matter, if any, in excess of $300 to any Ridgefield political organization and/or candidate and/or candidate committee within the past three years."
Any member of the Boards of the Borough of Ridgefield who was a candidate for election during the year of any political donation listed on said form to his/her political party, committee, and/or him/her as a candidate shall be recused from the specific application at issue and shall reveal and seek the determination of the respective Board attorney in accordance with N.J.S.A. 40:55D-23(b), N.J.S.A. 40A:55D-69 and N.J.S.A. 40A:9-22/1.