Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1886-08-05
IBY AUTHoRITY.l
LAWS OF NEW JERSEY.
CHAPTER XIV.

CHAPTER XIV.
| An Act to provide for the division OF incopor-
| ated towns, townships and boroughs into
| wards, and to regulate representation there
in.
| Whereas, In the incorporated towns, town
ships and boroughs of this State, members
Of the municipal governing body are, in
most cases elected on a general ticket; and
whereas, representation based, in the main,
or subdivisions Of the body corporate, Is
| better suited to populous communities;
therefore,
|. Be it enacted by the Senate and General
| Assembly of the State Of New Jersey, That
| in cases wherein any incorporated town, town
ship or borough not already divided into mu-
niclpal subdivisions, electing their own repre-
e9ntatives to the municipal governing body
there have been polled at the last Presidential
or ether subsequent election, or whenever in
any such municipality there shall hereafter
be polled at any future election more than
fifteen hundred legal votes, 1t shall be the
duty Of the township committee or other gov
eTning body of said municipality at least
fifteen days before any annual municipal
election succeeding the approval of this act,
In case such votes have been heretofore polled,
and IN other cases at least fifteen days before
any annual municipal election succeeding
such future election at which such votes may
be hereafter polled, by resolution passed by a
majority of their number at special meeting
held for that purpose, of which meeting notice
in writing, signed by the clerk of said munich
pality, shall be set up at five of the most
public places therein, for at least five days
prior to said meeting, to divide said incorpor-
ated town, township or borough into not more
than three wards, having regard, in making
said division, to equality of representation,
and to the lines of any existing polling dis
tricts, and to designate such wards by names
or numbers; provided, however, that no divis-
ion into wards as aforesaid shall be made
unless the question of making such division
shall have been previously submitted to the
legal voters of such incorporated town, town
ship or borough at the annual municipal cleo
tion, or at an election to be held for that pur-
pose, nor unless majority of the legal votes
cast at such election shall be In favor Of MAX
ing division into wards In the manner in
this section provided
2. And be it enacted, That from and after
the annual municipal election next succeed
ing such division, the township committee or
other governing body Of every such incorpor-
ated town, township or borough, shall consist
OF hive persons In case said division is into
two wards, and of seven persons, in case said
division is into three wards, two of whom
shall be elected by the legal voters of each
ward, and one of whom shall be elected by
the legal voters of the municipality at large:
that at the annual municipal election next
succeeding such division, the legal voters in
each ward shall elect, by ballot, one person
to serve as member of the township com
mittee or other governing body for the term
of one year, and one for the term of two years:
and the legal voters of said municipality vot-
ing in their respective wards, shall at the same
time elect one person from the municipality
at large, to serve as member for the term of
one year; and annually thereafter there shall
be elected in ard for each ward one person
to serve as a member of said governing body
for the term Of two years, and by the legal
voters of the municipality at large, voting in
their respective wards, one member for the
term of one year.
8. And be it enacted That in cases wherein
any incorporated town, township or borough,
already divided into wards or municipal sub
divisions, electing their own representatives to
the municipal governing body, by wha9ever
name said Subdisions NAV be called in the
act or acts creating the same, there have been
poiled in any such ward or subdivision at the
last PRESIDENTIAL or any subsequent election,
more than one thousand legal votes, or when
ever, in any future election, there shall be
polled III any such subdivision or ward in any
lncorpoI ated town, township or borough more
than one thousand legal voters, it shall be the
duty OF the governing body of said municipal
ity, at least fifteen days before the annual mu-
nicipal election next succeeding the approval
of this act, in case such votes have been here
tofore polled, and in other eases at least fifteen
days before the annual municipal election
next succeeding such future election at which
such votes may be hereafter polled, by resolu-
tion passed by majority of their number, at
special meeting held for that purpose, Of
which meeting notice in writing, signed by
the clerk of said municipality, shall be set up
at five of the most public places therein, for
at least five days prior to said meeting to ci-
vide said ward or municipal subdivision into
two wards, having regard, in making said di-
vision TO equality of representation, and to
the lines of any existing polling pistrict, and
to designate said wards by names or numbers,
and that thereafter all the subdivisions of said
municipality electing their own representa-
tlves to the municipal governing body shall
be denomlnated and known as wards and not
otherwise; and it shall be the duty of said
township committee or other governing body
OF said municipality to designate such wards
by names or numbers
4. And be it enacted, That from and after
the annual municipal election next succeeding
such division of ward or municipal sub
division into two wards, each ward thereby
created shall have the same representation in
the township committee or other governing
body to which the subdivision or ward so di-
vided was, at the time of said division, en-
TITLED, under the terms of the act or acts regu-
tatlng representation therein, and that at the
annual municipal election next succeeding
such division the legal voters of each ward
thereby created shall elect, by ballot, the mu-
nlclpal representative or representatives to
which such ward shall be entitled, as afore-
said, for the same term or terms prescribed
for representatives chosen at the first election
held in the municipal subdivision of ward so
divided, in and by the act or acts regulating
representation therein, and shall annually
thereafter elect, by ballot, the municipal rep
sentative or representatives to which said
ward shall be entitled, as aforesaid; provided,
that if at the date of the first election under
this act, the term of office of member of the
township committee or other governing body
heretofore elected to represent the municipal
subdivision or ward so divided shall not have
expired, then and in that case such member
shall serve out his term Of office as repre-
sentative Of the ward in which his residence
may be.
5. And be it enacted, That all acts and
parts OF acts, whether general or special, in
consistent with the provisions of this act, be
and the same are hereby repealed
3. And be it enacted, That this act shall
take effect Immediately.
Passed February Is, 1886.