State Codes and Statutes

Statutes > New-jersey > Title-10 > Section-10-4 > 10-4-8

10:4-8.  Definitions
    As used in this act:

    a.   "Public body"  means a commission, authority, board, council, committee  or any other group of two or more persons organized under the laws of this  State, and collectively empowered as a voting body to perform a public  governmental function affecting the rights, duties, obligations, privileges,  benefits, or other legal relations of any person, or collectively authorized to  spend public funds including the Legislature, but does not mean or include the  judicial branch of the government, any grand or petit jury, any parole board or  any agency or body acting in a parole capacity, the State Commission of  Investigation, the Apportionment Commission established under Article IV,  Section III, of the Constitution, or any political party committee organized  under Title 19 of the Revised Statutes.

    b.   "Meeting"  means and includes any gathering whether corporeal or by means of communication equipment, which is attended by, or open to, all of the members of a public body, held with the intent, on the part of the members of the body present, to discuss or act as a unit upon the specific public business  of that body.  Meeting does not mean or include any such gathering (1) attended  by less than an effective majority of the members of a public body, or (2)  attended by or open to all the members of three or more similar public bodies  at a convention or similar gathering.

    c.   "Public business"  means and includes all matters which relate in any way, directly or indirectly, to the performance of the public body's functions or the conduct of its business.

    d.   "Adequate notice"  means written advance notice of at least 48 hours, giving the time, date, location and, to the extent known, the agenda of any regular, special or rescheduled meeting, which notice shall accurately state whether formal action may or may not be taken and which shall be (1) prominently posted in at least one public place reserved for such or similar announcements, (2) mailed, telephoned, telegrammed, or hand delivered to at least two newspapers which newspapers shall be designated by the public body to  receive such notices because they have the greatest likelihood of informing the  public within the area of jurisdiction of the public body of such meetings, one  of which shall be the official newspaper, where any such has been designated by  the public body or if the public body has failed to so designate, where any has  been designated by the governing body of the political subdivision whose geographic boundaries are coextensive with that of the public body and (3) filed with the clerk of the municipality when the public body's geographic boundaries are coextensive with that of a single municipality, with the clerk  of the county when the public body's geographic boundaries are coextensive with  that of a single county, and with the Secretary of State if the public body has  Statewide jurisdiction.  For any other public body the filing shall be with the  clerk or chief administrative officer of such other public body and each municipal or county clerk of each municipality or county encompassed within the  jurisdiction of such public body.  Where annual notice or revisions thereof in  compliance with section 13 of this act set forth the location of any meeting,  no further notice shall be required for such meeting.

     L.1975, c. 231, s. 3.  Amended by L.1981, c. 176, s. 2.