Any municipal authority for the carrying out and effectuation of its purposes, and (a) any of the local units (b) any other municipality whether within or without the district and (c) any other municipal authority, any sewerage authority or any other public body of the State empowered to treat or dispose of sewage or solid waste (all such local units, municipalities, other municipal authorities, sewerage authorities and other bodies being hereinafter referred to individually as a “governmental unit” ) for fostering the relief of waters in, bordering or entering the territorial area of the governmental unit from pollution or threatened pollution or assisting the municipal authority in carrying out and effectuating its purposes, may enter into a contract or contracts providing for or relating to the collection, treatment and disposal of sewage or solid waste originating in the district or received by the municipal authority, or originating in the territorial area of or collected by the governmental unit, by means of the sewerage or solid waste system or any sewerage or solid waste facilities of the governmental unit or both, and the cost and expense of such collection, treatment and disposal. Any municipal authority for the carrying out and effectuation of its purposes, and (a) any of the local units (b) any other municipality whether within or without the district and (c) any other municipal authority, any sewerage authority or any other public body of the State empowered to sell and supply water (all such local units, municipalities, other municipal authorities, sewerage authorities and other bodies being hereinafter referred to individually as a “governmental unit” ) for fostering the provision and distribution of an adequate supply of water within the territorial area of the governmental unit or assisting the municipal authority in carrying out and effectuating its purposes may enter into a contract or contracts providing for or relating to the sale or supplying of water to such municipal authority or to the governmental unit or to persons or properties within the district or the governmental unit, and the cost and expense of such sale or supplying of water. Any such contract may provide for the payment to the municipal authority by the governmental unit annually or otherwise of such sum or sums of money, computed at fixed amounts or by a formula based on any factors or other matters described in section 21 or section 22 of this act or in any other manner, as said contract or contracts may provide, and may provide that the sum or sums so payable to the municipal authority shall be in lieu of all or any part of the service charges which would otherwise be charged and collected by the municipal authority with regard to persons or real property within the territorial area of the governmental unit. Such contract or contracts may also contain provisions as to the financing and payment of expenses to be incurred by the municipal authority and determined by it to be necessary for its purposes prior to the placing in operation of a sewerage, solid waste or water supply and distribution system and may provide for the payment by the governmental unit to the municipal authority for application to such expenses or indebtedness therefor such sum or sums of money, computed as said contract or contracts may provide and as the governing body (hereinafter described) of the governmental unit shall, by virtue of its authorization of and entry into said contract or contracts, determine to be necessary for the purposes of the municipal authority. Every such contract shall be authorized and entered into under and pursuant to a resolution adopted by the authority in the case of municipal or other authority, an ordinance of the governing body in the case of a municipality, a resolution or ordinance of the governing body in the case of a county, and, in the case of any other public body, a resolution of the commission, council, board or body by whatever name it may be known (in this section sometimes referred to as “governing body” ) having charge of the finances of such public body, but the terms or text of said contract need not be set forth in full or stated in any such resolution or ordinance if the form of said contract is on file in the office of the clerk or other recording officer of the governmental unit or its governing body and the place in fact of such filing is described in the resolution or ordinance. Any such contract may be made with or without consideration and for a specified or an unlimited time and on any terms and conditions which may be approved by or on behalf of the governmental unit and which may be agreed to by the municipal authority in conformity with its contracts with the holders of any bonds, and shall be valid whether or not an appropriation with respect thereto is made by the governmental unit prior to authorization or execution thereof. Every such governmental unit is hereby authorized and directed to do and perform any and all acts or things necessary, convenient or desirable to carry out and perform every such contract and to provide for the payment or discharge of any obligation thereunder in the same manner as other obligations of such governmental unit. Subject to any such contracts with the holders of bonds, the municipal authority is hereby authorized to do and perform any and all acts or things necessary, convenient or desirable to carry out and perform every such contract and, in accordance with any such contract, to waive, modify, suspend or reduce the service charges which would otherwise be charged and collected by the municipal authority with regard to persons or real property within the territorial area of the governmental unit, but nothing in this section or any such contract shall prevent the municipal authority from charging and collecting, as if such contract had not been made, service charges with regard to such persons and real property sufficient to meet any default or deficiency in any payments agreed in such contract to be made by such governmental unit.

L.1957, c. 183, p. 670, s. 49, eff. Aug. 22, 1957. Amended by L.1971, c. 297, s. 1, eff. Aug. 27, 1971; L.1973, c. 192, s. 1, eff. June 28, 1973; L.1977, c. 384, s. 13, eff. Feb. 10, 1978; L.1979, c. 86, s. 14, eff. May 15, 1979.