Faulkner Act (mayor–council)
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New Jersey municipal government  |
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| Traditional forms | ||||
| Borough | Township | |||
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| Modern forms | ||||
| Walsh Act commission | ||||
| 1923 municipal manager | ||||
| Faulkner Act forms | ||||
| Mayor–council | Council–manager | |||
| Small municipality | ||||
| Mayor–council–administrator | ||||
| Nonstandard forms | ||||
| Special charter | ||||
| Changing form of municipal government | ||||
| Charter Study Commission |
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The Faulkner Act, or Optional Municipal Charter Law, provides for New Jersey municipalities to adopt a mayor–council government.
This form of government provides for election of a mayor and five, seven, or nine council members. All council members may be elected at large, or some may be elected by wards; they may be partisan or nonpartisan, and serve four-year concurrent or staggered terms. There may be up to ten administrative departments.[1]
As in all Faulkner Act municipalities, citizens in the mayor–council system enjoy the right of initiative and referendum, meaning that proposed ordinances can be introduced directly by the people without action by the local governing body. This right is exercised by preparing a conforming petition signed by 10% of the registered voters who turned out in the last general election in an odd-numbered year. Once the petition is submitted, the local governing body can vote to pass the requested ordinance, and if it refuses, it is then submitted directly to the voters.
The following municipalities have adopted mayor–council system under the Faulkner Act.
References
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- ↑ Minutes of the 163rd Reorganization Meeting, Jackson Township, held July 1, 2006. Accessed June 26, 2008.
- ↑ Burczewski, Ron. "Sea Isle City 11/07/07 Our new government", Cape May County Herald, November 7, 2007. Accessed April 30, 2008.
