Faulkner Act (Mayor-Council-Administrator)
Encyclopedia
The Faulkner Act
, or Optional Municipal Charter Law, provides for New Jersey
municipalities to adopt a Mayor-Council-Administrator form of government.
Voters elect a mayor and six council members at large for staggered terms with partisan elections. The mayor serves a four-year term; council members serve three-year terms. An organization meeting is held on January 1. Up to six administrative departments may be created by ordinance. In this "weak mayor" form
of government, the mayor votes only to break ties, and the township administrator supervises the departments.
As in all Faulkner Act municipalities, citizens in the OMCL Mayor-Council-Administrator 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 the Mayor-Council-Administrator form of government under the Faulkner Act.
Faulkner Act (New Jersey)
The Optional Municipal Charter Law or Faulkner Act provides New Jersey municipalities with a variety of models of local government. This legislation is called the Faulkner Act in honor of the late Bayard H...
, or Optional Municipal Charter Law, provides for New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
municipalities to adopt a Mayor-Council-Administrator form of government.
Voters elect a mayor and six council members at large for staggered terms with partisan elections. The mayor serves a four-year term; council members serve three-year terms. An organization meeting is held on January 1. Up to six administrative departments may be created by ordinance. In this "weak mayor" form
of government, the mayor votes only to break ties, and the township administrator supervises the departments.
As in all Faulkner Act municipalities, citizens in the OMCL Mayor-Council-Administrator 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
Petition
A petition is a request to do something, most commonly addressed to a government official or public entity. Petitions to a deity are a form of prayer....
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 the Mayor-Council-Administrator form of government under the Faulkner Act.
| Municipality | County | Note | |
| Berkeley Heights Berkeley Heights, New Jersey Berkeley Heights is a township in Union County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 13,183.... |
Union County Union County, New Jersey Union County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 536,499. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Elizabeth. Union County ranks 93rd among the highest-income counties in the United States. It also ranks 74th in... |
Effective January 1, 2007 | |
| North Brunswick Township North Brunswick Township, New Jersey -Demographics:At the 2010 census, there were 40,742 people, 13,635 households and 9,367 families residing in the township. The population density was 3,018.3 per square mile . There were 13,932 housing units at an average density of 1,158.8 per square mile... |
Middlesex County Middlesex County, New Jersey -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 750,162 people, 265,815 households, and 190,855 families residing in the county. The population density was 2,422 people per square mile . There were 273,637 housing units at an average density of 884 per square mile... |
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| West Milford Township | Passaic County Passaic County, New Jersey Passaic County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 501,226. Its county seat is Paterson... |
Effective January 1, 2004 | |