a. The joint municipal consolidation study commission shall prepare a proposed budget for its activities showing anticipated expenses and anticipated receipts of funds from all sources, which shall be submitted to the governing bodies of the participating municipalities for their review. The governing bodies shall approve a budget for the commission within 30 days of submission thereof. To the extent that funds from other sources are not adequate to cover the expenses of the commission, expenses approved by the governing bodies of the participating municipalities shall be apportioned among such municipalities according to the proportion that the assessed valuation of all taxable real property within each such municipality bears to the total assessed valuation of all such property within all participating municipalities. Such apportionment shall be based upon the most current abstract of ratables prepared for the purpose of levying taxes in the respective participating municipalities.

b. The commission may apply for and accept a State grant from the Department of Community Affairs to conduct a feasibility study or studies, or may request the department to conduct such study or studies in accordance with the provisions of sections 5 and 6 of the “Interlocal Services Aid Act” (P.L.1973, c. 289; C. 40:8B-5 and 40:8B-6). The commission may also accept privately contributed funds, and any Federal assistance or grants that may be available. Participating municipalities shall be reimbursed, in the same manner prescribed in subsection a. for apportioning commission expenses among such municipalities, for any advance payments made by such municipalities to the commission in anticipation of the commission’s receipt of revenues from such sources as are set forth in this subsection, if funds from such source were included as a revenue item in the commission’s budget approved by the participating municipalities. Reimbursement shall be made immediately upon receipt of such anticipated revenues.

c. The participating municipalities shall make available to the commission such facilities and such professional, technical and clerical assistance as said municipalities may jointly agree.

d. Within the limits of available funds, the commission may appoint a secretary, consultants and such other clerical and professional assistants as it may require, who shall serve at the pleasure of the commission. The commission may fix a reasonable compensation to be paid for such services. Any commission established pursuant to the provisions of this act shall not be subject to the provisions of the “Local Public Contracts Law” (P.L.1971, c. 198; C. 40A:11-1 et seq.), or to the provisions of Title 11 (Civil Service) of the Revised Statutes.

e. All expenditures of funds by the commission shall be subject to audit in the same manner as municipal expenditures.

f. Amounts necessary to fund budget requests made by a commission pursuant to the provisions of this section may be appropriated by participating municipalities as emergency appropriations pursuant to N.J.S. 40A:4-53.

L.1977, c. 435, s. 19, eff. March 1, 1978.