The Planning Board shall elect a Chairperson and Vice Chairperson from the members of Class IV, select a Secretary who may or may not be a member or alternate member of the Planning Board or a municipal employee, and create and fill such other offices as established by ordinance. An alternate member shall not serve as Chairperson or Vice Chairperson of the Planning Board.
A. 
There is hereby created the position of Attorney for the Board. The Board may employ, or contract for, and fix the compensation of legal counsel to fill such position, provided such compensation shall not exceed the amount appropriated by the Mayor and Borough Council for use by the Board for such purpose. Such attorney shall not be the Borough Attorney.
B. 
The Board may also employ, or contract for, and fix the compensation of a licensed professional engineer, planning consultant or such other additional experts, staff and services as it may deem necessary, not exceeding the amount appropriated by the Mayor and the Borough Council for the Board's use.
The Mayor and Borough Council shall make provisions in their budget and appropriate funds for the expenses of the Board as deemed appropriate.
The Board shall adopt, and may amend, reasonable rules and regulations not inconsistent with this chapter, the Municipal Land Use Law[1] or with any applicable law, for the administration of its functions, powers and duties. A copy of the rules shall be maintained in the office of the Secretary of the Board, and shall be furnished to any person upon request. A reasonable fee may be charged for providing a copy of the rules.
[1]
Editor's Note: See N.J.S.A. 40:55D-1 et seq.
The applicant may request from the administrative officer and, if requested, shall be entitled to the holding of a preapplication conference.
A. 
The purpose of this conference is to:
(1) 
Acquaint the applicant with the substantive and procedural requirements of this chapter;
(2) 
Provide for an exchange of information regarding the proposed development plan and applicable elements of the Master Plan, this chapter and other development requirements;
(3) 
Advise the applicant of any public sources of information that may aid the applicant's prosecution of the application for development;
(4) 
Otherwise identify policies and regulations that create opportunities for, or pose significant constraints on, the proposed development;
(5) 
Review any proposed concept plans and consider opportunities to increase development benefits and mitigate undesirable project consequences;
(6) 
Permit input into the general design of the project; and
(7) 
Identify, to the extent practicable at this stage of the process, any variances or design or submission waivers necessary for the applicant to develop the proposed development.
B. 
The municipal representatives at the preapplication conference shall be designated, except as otherwise indicated, by the Director of the Department of Community Development administrative officer and shall include the administrative officer, and may include a representative of the Mayor as designated by the Mayor, and may include:
(1) 
The Municipal Engineer.
(2) 
The Municipal Planner.
(3) 
The Municipal Construction Official.
(4) 
The Municipal Zoning Officer.
(5) 
Designated representative(s) from the Planning Board.
(6) 
Representatives from any other designated commissions or boards.
C. 
A request for a preapplication conference shall be made in writing and shall include a project description, a tax lot and block designation of the site in question, a concept plan and such additional information as may be reasonably requested by the administrative officer. The administrative officer shall schedule a preapplication conference within 30 days of receipt of such request.
D. 
The applicant shall not be required to pay a fee for the preapplication conference; provided, however, that the applicant shall post an escrow fee pursuant to this chapter to cover the costs of attendance at the preapplication conference of professional consultants not employed by the Borough. If requested and paid for by the applicant, a brief written summary of the preapplication conference shall be prepared by the administrative officer and provided to the applicant within 15 working days after the final meeting. The fee for such summary shall be that set forth in Article 6 of this chapter.
E. 
Neither the Planning Board, the applicant, nor any other participant in the preapplication meeting shall be bound by the determination of the preapplication process.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. II)]
A. 
In addition, or as an alternative, to the preapplication meeting, at the request of the applicant, the Planning Board, or a subcommittee thereof, shall meet with the applicant for an informal review of a concept plan for development for which the applicant intends to prepare and submit an application for development to the Planning Board. The purpose of the concept plan is to provide Planning Board input in the formative stages of subdivision and site plan design.
B. 
A request to meet with the Planning Board for an informal concept plan review shall be made in writing and shall include a project description, a tax lot and block designation of the site in question, the concept plan and such additional information as may be reasonably requested by the administrative officer.
C. 
A brief written summary of the concept plan review shall be prepared by the administrative officer and provided to the Planning Board members and the applicant.
D. 
The applicant shall be charged the fee for concept plan review set forth in Article 6 hereof. The amount of such fee shall be a credit towards fees or charges otherwise payable under Article 6 for the review of the application for development.
E. 
The applicant shall not be bound by any conceptual plan for which review is requested, nor shall the Planning Board, or any subcommittee thereof, be bound by any such review.
The following provisions shall apply to the meetings of the Board:
A. 
Schedule of meetings; special meetings.
(1) 
The Board shall by its rules fix the time and place for holding its regular meetings. Regular meetings of the Board shall be scheduled not less than once a month and shall be held as scheduled unless canceled for lack of applications for development to process. The schedule of meetings shall be filed with the Borough Clerk, posted upon the Borough bulletin board, and sent to two newspapers with circulation in the Borough, one of which shall be the official newspaper of the Borough.
(2) 
The Board may provide for special meetings, at the call of the Chairperson, or at the request of any two of its members.
B. 
Meetings open to public; executive sessions.
(1) 
All regular meetings and special meetings shall be open to the public, except to the extent that the public may be excluded from any such meeting or portion thereof in accordance with requirements of the Open Public Meetings Act.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: See N.J.S.A. 10:4-6 et seq.
(2) 
Meetings shall be held on notice to the Board members and the public in accordance with this chapter and the Open Public Meetings Act.
(3) 
Executive sessions within the meaning of the Open Public Meetings Act and for the purpose of that Act are permitted.
(4) 
The "executive sessions" as set forth in N.J.S.A. 40:55D-9b, for the purpose of discussing and studying any matters to come before the Board, shall take place at an agenda meeting and shall be open to the public.
(5) 
No formal action can be taken in an executive or agenda session unless formal notice has been given in accordance with the Open Public Meetings Act.
C. 
Quorum; conflict of interest. No action shall be taken at any meeting without a quorum being present. No regular, alternate or temporary member shall be permitted to act on any matter in which he or she has, either directly or indirectly, any personal or financial interest.
D. 
Majority vote required. All actions shall be taken by a majority vote of the members of the Board present at the meeting, except as otherwise provided by this chapter and the Municipal Land Use Law.[2] For actions requiring an affirmative vote of five or more, see N.J.S.A. 40:55D-70.
[2]
Editor's Note: See N.J.S.A. 40:55D-1 et seq.
E. 
Participation of alternate members. Alternate members may participate in all matters but may not vote except in the absence or disqualification of a regular member of any class. A vote shall not be delayed in order that a regular member may vote instead of an alternate member. In the event that a choice must be made as to which alternate member is to vote, Alternate No. 1, No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4 shall vote in that order. Participation of alternate members shall not be deemed to increase the size of the Board established by this chapter.
F. 
Minutes.
(1) 
Minutes of every meeting of the Board shall be kept and shall include the names of the persons appearing and addressing the Board and of the person appearing by attorney, the action taken by the Board, the findings, if any, made by it and reasons therefor, and any other resolutions or business to come before the Board. The minutes shall thereafter be available for public inspection during normal business hours in the administrative offices of the Borough after their approval by the Board.
(2) 
Any interested party shall have the right to compel production of the minutes for use as evidence in any legal proceedings concerning the subject matter of such minutes. Such interested party may be charged a reasonable fee for reproduction of the minutes for his or her use. All actions taken by the Board shall require a formal written resolution of memorialization which shall be part of the minutes of that meeting.
(3) 
A copy of all minutes shall be filed at the Kenilworth Library to facilitate public inspection during those hours when the Kenilworth Municipal Building is closed.
G. 
Transcripts of hearings. Pursuant to the Municipal Land Use Law,[3] the Board shall provide one of the following for each hearing:
(1) 
An electronic recording of the hearing and any discussions relating to the application leading to a decision by the Board. This recording shall be reduced to typewritten form.
(2) 
A stenographic court reporter who shall transcribe verbatim the hearing and any discussion relating to the application leading to a decision by the Board. This transcript shall not be reduced to typewritten form unless requested. The cost of reducing the transcript to typewritten form shall be borne by the applicant and shall be ordered directly from the court reporter and the cost paid directly to the court reporter.
[3]
Editor's Note: See N.J.S.A. 40:55D-1 et seq.
A. 
The Fire Chief and the Police Chief of the Borough, or their designees, shall be ex officio advisory members of the Planning Board for the purpose of advising the Board on any application that may come before it on the impact the granting of such application may have upon the furnishing of police or fire protection services, or any requirements that may be advisable in that regard.
B. 
Neither the Fire Chief nor the Police Chief shall vote on any matter coming before such Board, nor shall they be considered "regular" members of such Board as that term is used in the appropriate New Jersey statutes.
C. 
Both the Fire Chief and the Police Chief may, from time to time, appoint a member of their respective departments to attend any Board meeting in their place.
No member of the Planning Board shall act on any matter in which he/she has either directly or indirectly any personal or financial interest. Whenever any such member shall disqualify himself/herself from acting on a particular matter, he/she shall not continue to sit with the Board on the hearing of such matter, nor participate in any discussion or decision relating thereto.
Pursuant to the provisions of N.J.S.A. 40:55D-12c, the administrative officer shall, within seven days of receipt of a request therefor and upon receipt of payment of a fee as specified in § 120-6.2, provide a list certified by the Tax Assessor from the current tax duplicate of names and addresses of owners in the Borough to whom the applicant is required to give notice, pursuant to this Part 1.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. II)]
Pursuant to the provisions of N.J.S.A. 40:55D-39 and 40:55D-65, every application for development submitted to the Planning Board shall be accompanied by proof that no taxes or assessments for local improvements are due or delinquent on the property which is the subject of such application, or, if it is shown that taxes or assessments are delinquent on the property, any approvals or other relief granted by the Planning Board shall be conditioned upon either the prompt payment of such taxes or assessments or the making of adequate provision for the payment thereof in such manner that the Borough shall be adequately protected. All other municipal fees, including application fees and escrow payments, shall be paid in full prior to the certification of any application for development as complete.
Immediately upon adoption of this Land Use Ordinance, the Borough Clerk shall file a copy with the County Planning Board, as required by law. The Clerk shall also file with the County Planning Board copies of all other Borough land use ordinances.
Any variance hereafter granted by the Planning Board permitting the erection or alteration of any structure or structures or permitting a specified use of any property shall expire by limitation unless such construction or alteration shall have been actually commenced on each and every structure permitted by the variance, or unless such permitted use has actually been commenced, within one year from the date of entry of the approval of the variance, except that the running of the period of limitation herein provided shall be tolled from the date of filing an appeal from the decision of the Planning Board to the Borough Council, or to a court of competent jurisdiction, until the termination in any manner of such appeal or proceeding.
Any power expressly authorized by this chapter or the Municipal Land Use Law[1] to the Board shall not be exercised by any other body, except as otherwise provided by the Municipal Land Use Law.
[1]
Editor's Note: See N.J.S.A. 40:55D-1 et seq.