Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 18, September 16, 2024
(a) The Board shall
prescribe the manner of election of three trustees from among the active or
retired membership of the Fund. The three member-trustees shall each serve a
three-year term, which shall be staggered by designated county group. An
election of one trustee will occur each year for the group with the expiring
three-year term. Each term of appointment shall commence on January 1 and
conclude on December 31.
(b) Any
member or retiree who wishes to be a candidate for the position of
member-trustee shall send a written letter of interest to the Secretary of the
Board by March 1 for the trustee member's term that expires the same year on
December 31.
(c) To be eligible as
a candidate for member-trustee, a person must comply with the requirements of
the New Jersey First Act,
52:14-7, (which requires having a
principal residence in New Jersey unless an exemption applies) and must be
employed in or retired from one of the counties of the group designated for
electing a trustee that year, in accordance with (d) below.
(d) The county groups for election of a
member-trustee shall be as follows:
|
Group A
|
Group B
|
Group C
|
| Bergen |
Middlesex |
Atlantic |
| Essex |
Monmouth |
Burlington |
| Hudson |
Morris |
Camden |
| Union |
Passaic |
Cape May |
| Somerset |
Cumberland |
| Sussex |
Gloucester |
| Warren |
Hunterdon |
| Mercer |
| Ocean |
| Salem |
(e)
Delegates shall be selected annually by each county in the manner described in
this subsection, regardless of the number of candidates for member-trustee.
1. Each county superintendent's office shall
be responsible for establishing and implementing the procedure for the
selection of the delegates/alternates. To qualify to be a delegate or
alternate, the individual must be an active or retired member of the Fund. The
county superintendent's office will submit the names of the selected delegates
and alternates to the Secretary of the Fund annually, for the purpose of
conducting a vote by ballot for the member-trustee position.
i. Each county shall be entitled to one
delegate for each 550 members employed in or retired from the county.
ii. Each county shall be entitled to elect
alternates, the number not to exceed one half of the number of delegates
elected.
iii. Each county
superintendent shall have until June 1 to electronically forward to the
Secretary of the Board the membership numbers, retirement numbers, names,
mailing addresses, e-mail addresses, and school districts of the delegates and
alternates. The names of delegates and alternates submitted by June 1 will
remain active for a period of 12 months for the purpose of conducting a vote in
accordance with (g), (i), or (j) below.
(f) In the event only one candidate has
registered with the Board Secretary for the position of member-trustee, in
accordance with (b) and (c) above, the candidate shall be deemed elected
without voting by ballot. Notification of the election results will occur in
accordance with (g)5 below.
(g) In
the event that more than one candidate has registered with the Board Secretary
in accordance with (b) and (c) above, the delegates and alternates selected
from the membership of each county shall vote for the member-trustee in
accordance with the following procedures:
1.
The selected county delegates will vote for member-trustee by either electronic
ballot, paper ballot, or a meeting of delegates. The design of the electronic
or paper ballot shall be determined by the Board and prepared by the Board
Secretary.
2. The Secretary of the
Board shall provide each qualified delegate and alternate with the following
documents, either by regular or electronic mail:
i. The Division's web address to obtain the
Board's annual report for the preceding fiscal year;
ii. Names of the candidates for
member-trustee who have registered with the Secretary of the Board;
and
iii. A ballot.
3. If the Board determines that a
meeting of delegates is required, the following procedures will also apply.
i. The meeting of delegates shall be held at
a time and location designated by the Board and as recommended by the Secretary
of the Board.
ii. The Secretary of
the Board shall provide each delegate and alternate with a form of
identification that will grant admission to the meeting of delegates. The
identification may be sent either by regular or electronic mail.
iii. The chairperson of the Board will
conduct the meeting.
iv. The
Secretary of the Board will conduct a roll call of the delegates. Alternates
will be seated in the place of their respective county delegate, if that
delegate is absent at the time of roll call. Alternates shall be seated in the
order in which they are listed by the county superintendent's office.
v. A quorum is required for the purposes of
an election at a meeting and shall be a majority of the total delegates
appointed by the county superintendents as provided under (e) above. To
determine a quorum at a meeting, alternates shall be seated and counted toward
the quorum for any absent delegate. Delegates and alternates must confirm their
anticipated attendance with the Board Secretary at least 10 days prior to the
meeting. If the Board Secretary determines that there are insufficient
confirmed delegates to hold a meeting, the Secretary shall cancel the meeting
and the vote shall be conducted by mail or electronic mail.
vi. Visitors and alternates not seated at the
meeting of delegates will only be recognized for purposes of making any
statements or comments during the meeting of delegates at the discretion of the
chairman.
vii. Only delegates with
proper identification will be permitted to participate in the voting process to
elect a member-trustee.
viii.
Delegates and alternates will be reimbursed for actual travel expenses incurred
in connection with the meeting of delegates in accordance with State of New
Jersey, Department of the Treasury reimbursement schedules. Mileage
reimbursement shall not exceed 150 miles each way.
4. The candidate that receives the highest
number of votes cast by the selected county delegates, or the delegate's
qualified alternate, shall be appointed as a member-trustee.
5. The Board Secretary will notify each
county superintendent's office of the election results. In addition, the
election results will be posted on the Division's website.
(h) In the event that no member is deemed to
receive a majority of votes in any election, the incumbent trustee shall serve
until a successor is elected in accordance with (f) or (g) above. If necessary,
the Secretary may conduct a run-off election using any method specified in (g)1
above.
(i) In the event an active
or retired trustee elected by the membership is unable to complete his or her
term, the vacancy shall be filled in accordance with (k) below. The term of
this position shall be the remainder of the unexpired term.
(j) In the event a newly-elected candidate
becomes unable or unwilling to serve as member-trustee prior to the beginning
of the candidate's term as trustee, the Board shall conduct a new election to
fill the Board vacancy, in accordance with (k) below. For purposes of this
subsection, a member-trustee's term will terminate in accordance with the
regular election cycle for that county's grouping.
(k) If a member-trustee cannot complete a
term in accordance with (i) or (j) above, the following will apply:
1. The Board Secretary will open nominations
for new member-trustee candidates. Interested parties will submit a letter of
interest within 45 days of the date of notification of the vacancy.
2. If only one candidate registers for the
vacant member-trustee position, that candidate will be deemed elected without
ballot, and announcement of the newly elected trustee will occur in accordance
with (g)5 above.
3. If more than
one candidate registers for the vacant member-trustee position, election by
delegate vote will be conducted, according to (g) above.
