40A:5A-10 Submission of budget.
10. a. Each authority shall submit a budget for each fiscal year to the director prior to its adoption thereof. The budget shall comply with the terms and provisions of any bond resolutions, and shall be in such form and detail as to items of revenue, expenditure and other content as shall be required by law or by rules and regulations of the Local Finance Board.
b. The Local Finance Board shall prescribe by rule or regulation the procedure for the adoption of budgets by authorities. The rules and regulations may include or be similar to any provisions of the "Local Budget Law" (N.J.S.40A:4-1 et seq.) which the Local Finance Board shall deem to be practicable or necessary, and may further include any other provisions and requirements which the Local Finance Board shall deem appropriate or necessary. The rules and regulations shall provide for approval or disapproval of a budget within 45 days of the director's receipt thereof.
c. The Local Finance Board shall also prescribe by rule or regulation the procedures and requirements for execution of any budget after adoption, and for the administration of financial affairs of authorities. The rules and regulations may include, without limitation, any provisions of the "Local Budget Law" (N.J.S.40A:4-1 et seq.), and the "Local Fiscal Affairs Law" (N.J.S.40A:5-1 et seq.), which the Local Finance Board shall deem to be practicable and necessary.
d. Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection a. of this section and section 11 of P.L.1983, c.313 (C.40A:5A-11), the Local Finance Board is authorized to adopt rules and regulations, pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), to exempt certain authorities from the requirement that the director approve their annual budgets and to provide instead for a system of local examination and approval of such budgets by authority officials, provided that:
(1) the director finds that such authorities are fiscally sound and that their fiscal practices are conducted in accordance with law and sound administrative practice;
(2) the director shall examine the budgets of such authorities in accordance with the provisions of this section and section 11 of P.L.1983, c.313 (C.40A:5A-11), at least every third year;
(3) the governing body and chief financial officer of each such authority shall each file a certification with the director stating that, with reference to the adopted budget of the authority, they have:
(a) examined the budget in the manner prescribed under this section and section 11 of P.L.1983, c.313 (C.40A:5A-11), and determined that the budget complies with requirements set forth therein; and
(b) determined that the budget complies with all other provisions of law, including, but not limited to, the "Local Authorities Fiscal Control Law," P.L.1983, c.313 (C.40A:5A-1 et seq.), and the regulations of the Local Finance Board;
(4) all budget documents required by law or the regulations adopted by the Local Finance Board shall be filed with the director on a timely basis;
(5) other criteria and responsibilities as established by the regulations adopted by the Local Finance Board are met.
The director shall act to require immediate compliance with the "Local Authorities Fiscal Control Law," P.L.1983, c.313 (C.40A:5A-1 et seq.), if the director finds that any such exemption impairs the fiscal integrity or solvency of any such authority. Any appeal of a governing body's action in adopting an annual budget shall be made to the director.
e. The budget for an authority that is required to prepare an asset management plan pursuant to section 7 of the "Water Quality Accountability Act," P.L.2017, c.133 (C.58:31-7) or that holds a permit pursuant to the "Water Pollution Control Act," P.L.1977, c.74 (C.58:10A-1 et seq.) shall identify the infrastructure improvements to be undertaken in accordance with the authority's asset management plan or pursuant to any rule or regulation pertaining to asset management plans adopted by the Commissioner of Environmental Protection pursuant to P.L.1977, c.74 (C.58:10A-1 et seq.), as applicable.
L.1983, c.313, s.10; amended 1987, c.319, s.5; 2015, c.95, s.18; 2021, c.184, s.10.