a. The governing body of any municipality which shall have created a sewerage authority may, by ordinance duly adopted, provide and determine that said sewerage authority shall be reorganized as a municipal authority and thereupon and thereby cause said sewerage authority to be organized as a public body corporate and politic existing under and by virtue of this act.

b. In any county which has created a sewerage authority or a county sewer authority or authorities, each such authority shall be reorganized as a county utilities authority and shall be continued as a public body corporate and politic existing under and by virtue of the municipal authorities law, P.L. 1957, c. 183 (C. 40:14B-1 et seq.). The governing body of any county wherein a sewerage authority or a county sewer authority or authorities was reorganized pursuant to this section shall record such reorganization by resolution and file such resolution with the Secretary of State pursuant to section 7 of this act (C. 40:14B-7).

c. No authority reorganized pursuant to this section shall acquire, construct, maintain, operate or improve a water system, a solid waste system or a hydroelectric system until such time as the governing body authorizes such action, by ordinance in the case of a municipality, or by resolution in the case of a county.

d. Said body shall consist of the members of said sewerage authority or of said county sewer authority holding office at the time of such organization, together with successors in such membership appointed as if said sewerage authority or county sewer authority had originally been created pursuant to section 4 of this act, and, upon the passage of this amendatory and supplementary act or upon the taking effect of such ordinance and the filing of a certified copy thereof as in section 7 of this act provided, said body shall constitute a municipal authority contemplated and provided for in this act and an agency and instrumentality of said municipality or county. Said body as such municipal authority shall have all of the rights and powers granted and be subject to all the duties and obligations imposed by this act and, subject to the rights (if any) of the holders of any bonds or other obligations of said sewerage authority or county sewer authority theretofore issued, said body shall be the successor in all respects to said sewerage authority or county sewer authority and forthwith succeed to all of the rights, property, assets and franchises of said sewerage authority or county sewer authority and the said bonds or other obligations of said sewerage authority or county sewer authority shall be assumed by and become the obligations of said municipal authority, and the property of said sewerage authority or county sewer authority shall be vested in said municipal authority. Said body may at any time, by resolution duly adopted, change its corporate name and adopt the name and style of ” the …….. municipal utilities authority” with the name of said municipality or county inserted.

L. 1957, c. 183, p. 641, s. 6, eff. Aug. 22, 1957. Amended by L. 1977, c. 384, s. 6, eff. Feb. 10, 1978. L. 1980, c. 34, s. 4, eff. June 6, 1980; L. 1981, c. 501, s. 1, eff. Jan. 12, 1982; L. 1985, c. 537, s. 1, eff. Jan. 21, 1986.