[HISTORY: Adopted by the Township Committee of the Township
of Lebanon 11-7-2018 by Ord. No. 2018-10[1]. Amendments noted where applicable.]
[1]
Editor's Note: This ordinance was originally adopted as Ch.
83 but was renumbered to maintain the organization of the Code.
A.
An Historian Committee for the Township of Lebanon is hereby established.
It is recognized that an Historian Committee has existed for many
years, but now is being formalized by ordinance and shall forthwith
be named the "Lebanon Township Historian Committee," hereinafter called
the "Historian Committee."
B.
The purpose of the Historian Committee is to preserve the knowledge
and artifacts of history pertinent to Township residents, as well
as to conduct activities to educate the public on such history in
order to improve the quality of life for all involved.
A.
The Historian Committee shall consist of nine members, designated
as historians. Such members shall be Township residents and be appointed
by the Mayor and approved by the Township of Lebanon Committee for
terms of one year with no limit on reappointment to additional terms.
Terms shall commence on January first and end on December 31st, or
until a successor is appointed and qualified.
B.
In addition to resignation or death of an appointee or an appointee's
moving his or her residence to outside of the Township, any appointee
who shall fail to attend three successively called meetings of the
Historian Committee without just cause shall be deemed to have vacated
after review of the situation and discretion of the Historian Committee.
C.
Removal of any appointee shall be for cause, only on written request
from the Historian Committee, and after a hearing before the Mayor
and Township Committee.
D.
In the event of any vacancies on the Historian Committee, the Mayor
may, with the approval of the Township Committee, fill such vacancies
for the unexpired portion of the term only.
Members of the Historian Committee shall serve without compensation.
A.
Meetings of the Historian Committee shall be open to the public,
held monthly on such dates as determined by the Historian Committee
at its annual reorganization meeting and as notified to the public.
B.
Following the Township annual reorganization meeting, the Historian
Committee will hold a reorganization meeting when it shall elect a
Chairman, Vice Chairman and Secretary from its members for one-year
terms.
C.
The Historian Committee shall have the power to establish its own
bylaws with such bylaws to be approved by the Township Committee.
D.
A majority of the Historian Committee shall constitute a quorum.
Passage of any motion requires an affirmative vote by a majority of
the members present.
The Township of Lebanon may employ a Museum Curator and Assistant
Curator or other staff to perform duties related to historical activities,
and the powers and duties of the Historian Committee shall not supersede
the powers and duties of any Township employee. The Historian Committee
shall work with such Township employees in their respective, assigned
duties and coordinate their activities so as not to duplicate or conflict.
Any unresolved matters shall be referred to the Township Committee
for resolution. Pursuant to the bylaws set by the Historian Committee,
the Historian Committee shall manage the Lebanon Township Museum in
collaboration with the Museum Curator. The Historian Committee shall
be responsible for providing guidance and direction concerning the
following matters:
A.
Encourage the protection and preservation of historical landmarks
and points of interest within the Township of Lebanon, and to advise
the Township Committee on matters affecting the historical landmarks
and points of interest.
B.
Encourage maintenance of an updated inventory or index of all historical
documents, records, or relics held by the Township, especially those
held at the Township museum, as well as landmarks and points of interest
within the Township of Lebanon.
C.
Encourage the acquisition and preservation of documents, records
and relics of the Township of Lebanon, and whatever other documents
or things that may relate to the history of the State of New Jersey
and the United States of America. The Historian Committee will establish
policy for accepting donations of historical artifacts for the museum
collection, but donations of real estate or items with estimated value
in excess of $2,000 will require Township Committee approval with
the recommendation of the Historian Committee.
D.
Public education of history related to the Township of Lebanon including
making all information and acquisitions of the Historian Committee
available to the public. The Historian Committee may advertise, prepare,
print and distribute books, maps, charts, plans and pamphlets which
in its judgment it deems necessary for its purposes.
E.
Seek to coordinate, assist and unify the efforts of private groups,
institutions, and individuals within the Township of Lebanon in accordance
with the purposes of this chapter. An example of such a private group
would be the Squiers Point Historians of Lebanon Township, Inc., which
is a nonprofit entity, independent from the Township of Lebanon, but
which may have overlapping membership with the Historian Committee.
F.
Maintain liaison and communication with public and private agencies
and organizations of local, county, state and national scope whose
programs and activities have an impact on the protection and preservation
of the history and historical points of interest of the Township of
Lebanon, or who can be of assistance to the purpose of the Historian
Committee. Such activities include pursuing grants or other funding
from such agencies or organizations, subject to approval of the Township
Committee prior to any grant application.
G.
Recommendations for the annual budget for the Township Museum and
the activities of the Historian Committee.
H.
Carry out other such duties as may be assigned from time-to-time
by the Township Committee.
A.
The Township of Lebanon occasionally receives cash donations or bequests
designated for the Township Museum or Historians, and all such monies
received shall be kept in a special fund created by the Township's
Chief Financial Officer (CFO), designated as the "Reserve for Museum
Donations Trust Fund." This fund shall be used for purposes related
to the operation, improvement or maintenance of the museum or museum
property, including the acquisition or restoration of historical artifacts,
or for materials and activities that will educate residents about
history. It may also be used for the operation, maintenance, or acquisition
of other real estate of an historic nature in the Township of Lebanon.
Expenditures from this fund will be proposed by the Historian Committee
subject to majority approval and approved by the Township Committee.
Any balance in the fund at year's end will be carried over into
the fund for the next calendar year.
B.
Funds in this account may not be used for any other Township expenses
without the consent of a majority of the Historian Committee.
C.
Donations made to private groups, institutions, and individuals within
the Township of Lebanon in accordance with the purposes of this chapter,
an example of such a private group would be the Squiers Point Historians
of Lebanon Township, Inc., and designated for a specific historical
use or monies received from fund raising events of the Squiers Point
Historians of Lebanon Township, Inc., will not be put into the Reserve
for Museum Donations Trust Fund.
D.
The Township's CFO will provide the Historian Committee, upon
request, with a quarterly accounting of the Reserve for Museum Trust
Fund and monthly income and expense statements of the fund.
The Museum Curator or another designated municipal employee
shall be empowered by the Township Committee to schedule use of the
museum facilities, subject to informing the Township Committee of
all usage, but the hours set for the museum to be open to the public
will be set by the Township Committee. It is understood that events
by community organizations that add to the quality of life for residents
will not be charged a rental fee for use of the museum, but a fee
for use may be imposed for private use at the recommendation of the
Historian Committee and with approval of the Township Committee. The
Curator or designated employee will provide the Historian Committee
with a monthly usage report for the museum and calendar of events
in paper or electronic format. Any monies received for the use of
the museum will first be credited to the Township general funds to
offset the costs of operating the museum, with any additional monies
provided to the Township CFO for deposit into the Reserve for Museum
Trust Fund.
The Historian Committee shall keep records of its meetings and
activities and shall make an annual report to the Township Committee
comprised of the records.
The Historian Committee may be dissolved at any time by a majority
vote of the Township Committee.
