S2984

An Act concerning certain provisions in the charter for the city of Gloucester City in the county of Camden and amending P.L.1868, c.44.

Whereas, the Mayor and the Common Council of Gloucester City in the County of Camden have petitioned the Legislature for the passage of a special law to amend the charter of the city of Gloucester City, as set forth in P.L.1868, c.44, in order to elect three common council members at large, and to elect one member of the common council from each of the three election wards in the city, and pursuant to Article IV, Section VII, paragraph 10 of the Constitution of 1947 in accordance with the procedure described by P.L.1948, c.199 (C.1:6-20 et seq.); now, therefore,

Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1. Section 2 of P.L.1868, c.44 is amended to read as follows:

2. For the better order and government of Gloucester [city] City there shall be elected hereafter [in said city] a [mayor] Mayor who shall hold his or her office for a term of [4] four (4) years, [2 common councilmen] one (1) Common Council Person from each of the [3] three (3) wards, who shall hold office for as period of three years, three (3) common council persons elected at large from the entire City and who with the [mayor] Mayor shall form and be one body politic and corporate in deed, fact, name and law and be known by the name, style and title of “The Mayor and Common Council of Gloucester City.”

(cf: P.L.1968, c.246, s.2)

2. Section 3 of P.L.1868, c.44 is amended to read as follows:

3. The [mayor] Mayor and [members] member of [common council] Common Council shall be elected at the general election to be held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November and shall take office [on the first Thursday in January following their election to office in the following order:] at a public meeting to beheld between January 1 and January 7 of the year following the general election. In the first year after passage of [this act] P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill) by the Legislature [and the adoption of this act by the legally qualified voters of Gloucester city, no councilmen shall be elected from any ward and the remaining 6 councilmen shall continue to hold office for the remainder of their unexpired terms and until their successors have been elected and qualified, in the second year one councilman from each of the 3 wards shall be elected for a term of 3 years, in the third year one councilman from each of the 3 wards shall be elected for a term of 3 years, in the third year one councilman from each of the 3 wards shall be elected for a term of 3 years, and thereafter all councilmen shall be elected for a term of 3 years upon the expiration of the elected terms; except; that the mayor shall be elected at large for a term of 4 years commencing the first Thursday in January of 1971] the members of Common Council shall continue to hold office for the remainder of their unexpired term and until their successors have been elected and qualified, in the second year and thereafter that member of Common Council elected from a ward shall be elected from the City at large until such time as each of the City’s three (3) wards elects one (1) council member and three (3) council members are elected by voters of the City at large.

(cf: P.L.1968, c.246, s.3)

3. This act shall take effect immediately and, notwithstanding the provisions of R.S.1:6-17, shall become operative immediately.

STATEMENT

This bill would amend the special charter, granted by the Legislature in 1868, of the City of Gloucester City in Camden County. The bill was introduced in accordance with the constitutional and statutory requirements regarding special legislation.

As requested by Gloucester City’s Common Council, this bill would amend that charter to provide that of the six Common Council members, three members would be elected at-large and one Common Council member would be elected from each of the city’s three election wards. Notwithstanding the requirements of R.S.1:6-17, the bill would take effect upon enactment.