Any municipality, by the adoption of an ordinance in the manner provided by law and upon giving the water commission and said owner or owners five days’ notice in writing of the adoption of the ordinance, may, if the water commission shall not have taken possession of the waterworks, withdraw from the condemnation proceedings at any time within forty days after the entry of the judgment of the court in the action. Any municipality so withdrawing shall be liable for its proportion of the expenses paid or debts incurred by or on behalf of the municipalities in the proceedings to acquire such waterworks up to the date of withdrawal. After the withdrawal of one or more municipalities, the water commission shall continue the action on behalf of such two or more municipalities as shall not have so withdrawn. If all the municipalities joining in such condemnation shall withdraw from the same, the action for condemnation shall be abandoned by the commission within eighty days after the entry of such judgment, upon payment to the owners and other parties who have appeared before the commissioners or the jury, of their reasonable costs, expenses and counsel fees to be determined by the Superior Court and upon filing a discharge of the notice of lis pendens. In the event of such abandonment such costs, expenses and counsel fees shall be the joint and several obligations of all of the municipalities in behalf of which the condemnation action was instituted, but the municipalities shall be liable as among themselves for the payment of such sum in the proportion set forth in section 40:62-121 of this Title.

If the water commission, pursuant to chapter one of Title 20 of the Revised Statutes, and after the passage and taking effect in each municipality in the manner provided by law, of ordinances authorizing the issuance of bonds as provided in section 40:62-121 of this Title, shall enter upon and take possession of said waterworks, no one or more of said municipalities shall thereafter have the right to withdraw from the condemnation action, nor shall the condemnation action thereafter be abandoned by the water commission.

Amended by L.1953, c. 37, p. 717, s. 218, eff. March 19, 1953.