a. Every municipality may intervene alone or jointly with another municipality or municipalities in any hearing or investigation held by the board, which involves public utility rates, fares or charges, service or facilities, affecting the municipality or municipalities or the public within the municipality or municipalities and may employ such legal counsel, experts and assistants as may be necessary to protect the interest of the municipality or municipalities or the public within the municipality or municipalities. Such municipality or municipalities may by emergency resolution raise and appropriate the funds necessary to provide reasonable compensation and expenses of such legal counsel, experts and assistants.

b. The governing body of any county shall have all the rights of intervention, alone or jointly with any municipality or municipalities, or with the governing body of any other county, which are conferred upon municipalities by subsection a. of this section, and may use all of the means provided for the effectuation of said rights which are permitted to municipalities under subsection a. of this section.

c. (1) If a hearing to which this amendatory and supplementary act applies is held pursuant to a petition by a public utility, that public utility shall serve written notice of the petition on the clerk of each affected municipality, the clerk to the board of chosen freeholders of each affected county and, where appropriate, the executive officer of each affected county, not less than 20 days prior to the date of the hearing, or the date of the first in a scheduled series thereof, as appropriate. The utility shall furnish the board with proof of service of notice not later than 10 days prior to the date of the hearing.

The board shall, not later than 10 days prior to the date of the hearing, serve written notice on the clerk of each affected municipality, the clerk to the board of chosen freeholders of each affected county and, where appropriate, the executive officer of each affected county, of the hour, date and place of the hearing. If this information is available at the time of the notice by the utility, the board may require the utility to include the information in that notice, in lieu of notice by the board. In the case of a scheduled series of hearings, the board may serve one notice encompassing the entire schedule, in lieu of serving a separate notice for each individual hearing. This notice shall be served not later than 10 days prior to the date of the first scheduled hearing. The board shall serve notice of any change in the hour, date or place of a scheduled hearing not less than 10 days prior to the original or new date of that hearing, as appropriate.

(2) If a hearing or investigation to which this amendatory and supplementary act applies is initiated by the board, the board shall serve written notice on the clerk of each affected municipality, the clerk to the board of chosen freeholders of each affected county and, where appropriate, the executive officer of each affected county as to the subject matter of the hearing or of any investigatory function in which the county or municipality may intervene. This notice shall be served not less than 20 days prior to the date of the hearing or investigatory function, or the date of the first in a scheduled series thereof, as appropriate. Not less than 10 days before the date of the hearing or investigatory function, the board shall serve written notice on the clerk of each affected municipality, the clerk to the board of chosen freeholders of each affected county and, where appropriate, the executive officer of each affected county, as to the hour, date and place of that hearing or function; except that this notice may be given at the same time as notice of the subject matter of the hearing or function. In the case of a scheduled series of hearings or functions, the board may serve one notice encompassing the entire schedule, in lieu of serving a separate notice for each individual hearing or function. This notice shall be served not later than 10 days prior to the date of the first scheduled hearing or function, as appropriate. The board shall serve notice of any change in the hour, date or place of a scheduled hearing or function not less than 10 days prior to the original or new date of that hearing or function, as appropriate.

d. The notice requirements provided for in subsection c. of this section may be waived upon consent of all involved parties, or in an emergency situation which involves a condition or set of conditions posing an immediate danger to the public health, safety or welfare. A petition for an adjustment of rates, fares or charges shall not constitute an emergency situation for the purposes of this subsection.

L. 1962, c. 198, s. 34. Amended by L. 1973, c. 132, s. 1, eff. May 17, 1973; L. 1985, c. 203, s. 1, eff. June 26, 1985.