4. a. The powers and duties of the trust shall vest in and be exercised by a board of trustees, comprised of seven voting members, of whom four shall be private citizens appointed by the Governor, with the advice and consent of the Senate. The four trustees thus appointed shall serve for three-year terms and shall continue to serve until succeeded; except, of the four trustees first appointed, two shall serve a term of three years, one shall serve a term of two years, and one shall serve a term of one year. A trustee may be reappointed to a succeeding term or terms. The Governor shall appoint the four trustees from a list of 12 candidates that shall be provided by the following entities within 90 days of the effective date of this section: American Littoral Society – Baykeeper; The Nature Conservancy; New Jersey Audubon Society; New Jersey Chapter of the Sierra Club; New Jersey Conservation Foundation; and The Trust for Public Land. Each of those six entities shall provide two nominees for the list of 12 candidates. In the event that less than 12 candidates are provided by those six entities, persons suggested to the Governor by other nonprofit organizations having open space preservation or environmental education as their corporate purpose shall be added to the list to make a total of 12 candidates to be considered by the Governor for the four appointments.

The remaining three trustees, all of whom shall serve ex officio, shall be: the Commissioner of Community Affairs or the commissioner’s designee; the executive director of the Hackensack Meadowlands Development Commission, or the executive director’s designee; and a mayor, or elected chief executive of a municipality, appointed by, and who shall serve at the pleasure of, the Hackensack Meadowlands Municipal Committee established pursuant to section 7 of P.L.1968, c.404 (C. 13:17-7).

b. (1) A trustee may be removed for cause by the appropriate appointing authority.

(2) A vacancy on the board shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment was made.

(3) The trustees shall serve without compensation, but may be reimbursed for all reasonable expenses necessarily incurred in the discharge of their official duties.

(4) A majority of the full membership of the board shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.

Action may be taken and motions and resolutions adopted by the board at any meeting thereof by the affirmative vote of a majority of the full membership of the board.

(5) The trustees shall elect a chairperson and a vice-chairperson from the members of the board.

(6) The board shall meet regularly as it may determine, and shall also meet at the call of the chairperson of the board or the Governor. Meetings of the board shall be subject to the “Open Public Meetings Act,” P.L.1975, c.231 (C. 10:4-6 et seq.).

L.1999,c.31,s.4.