22. a. Except as provided in subsection b. of this section, the board of fire commissioners of a fire district may by resolution move the time of the annual election for the fire district to the time of the general election on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. If the time of the annual election for a fire district is moved to the time of the general election, the fire district election shall be held for the purposes of electing members of the board of fire commissioners and for voting on any appropriation or other matter according to the provisions of N.J.S. 40A:14-70 et seq. The procedures for holding a fire district election at the time of the general election shall be in accordance with the procedures provided for the general election under Title 19 of the Revised Statutes, except as otherwise provided pursuant to N.J.S. 40A:14-70 et seq.

After moving the date of a fire district’s annual election to the day of the general election on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November, the date of the annual fire election shall be held at that time and shall not be changed.

b. (1) An annual election shall not be moved to the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November, to be held simultaneously with the general election, pursuant to subsection a. of this section, unless the county board of elections has certified that the election may be conducted in accordance with the requirements of section 1 of P.L.1976, c.83 (C. 19:4-10).

(2) The county board of elections for a county within which a fire district is located shall determine, within 30 days of the effective date of P.L.2017, c.206, whether an annual election may be so conducted.

(a) If the county board of elections determines that an annual election may be conducted pursuant to paragraph (1) of this subsection, the board shall transmit a certification to the board of fire commissioners and the governing body of the municipality within which the district is located.

(b) If the county board of elections determines that an annual election may not be conducted pursuant to paragraph (1) of this subsection, the board shall transmit a letter to the fire district so stating. In order to meet the requirement of paragraph (1) of this subsection, the board of election may revise or readjust the boundary lines of any election district and the board of fire commissioners, if authorized by an ordinance adopted by the governing body of the municipality, may revise or readjust the boundary lines of any fire district, including by means of consolidating or subdividing districts, as may be necessary, except as may be otherwise required by section 6 of P.L.1976, c.83 (C. 19:4-15). The Local Finance Board shall approve any proposed consolidation or subdivision of a fire district in accordance with the procedures set forth in the Local Authorities Fiscal Control Law, P.L.1983, c.313 (C. 40A:5A-1 et seq.), or sections 2 and 3 of P.L.2015, c.279 (C. 40A:14-90.1 et seq.), as applicable. Any fire district whose boundaries have been adjusted shall notify the Director of the Division of Local Government Services in the Department of Community Affairs.

Upon the completion of such revision or readjustment of the boundary lines of any election district by the board of elections, the board of election shall transmit a certification to the board of fire commissioners and the governing body of the municipality within which the district is located.

Upon the completion of such revision or readjustment of the boundary lines of any fire district by the board of fire commissioners, the fire district shall transmit a letter so notifying the county board of elections. The board of elections shall, within 30 days thereafter, transmit either a certification to the board of fire commissioners and the governing body of the municipality within which the district is located, provided the board of election can then certify compliance with paragraph (1) of this subsection, or a letter to the board of fire commissioners stating that compliance with paragraph (1) of this subsection has not been met notwithstanding the revision or readjustment.

c. If the time of the annual election is moved to the time of the general election pursuant to subsection a. of this section, the term of a member of a board of fire commissioner elected at the time of a general election shall commence at 12 o’clock noon on the first Tuesday in December, and shall expire at 12 o’clock noon on the first Tuesday in December of the third year following the year in which such member was elected. Any vacancy in the membership shall be filled by the remaining members until the next succeeding annual election held at the time of the general election, at which time a resident of the district shall be elected for the unexpired term.

L.2017, c.206, s.22.