§ 32:17-4 — Palisades Interstate park commission created; corporate powers; membership; appointment; terms; vacancies; removals; expenses

ARTICLE II. 1. There is hereby created a body corporate and politic with the name and style of "Palisades Interstate park commission" (for brevity hereinafter referred to as "the commission" ) which shall be a joint corporate municipal instrumentality of both the state of New York and the state of New Jersey for the purpose of effecting the objects of this compact and which shall be deemed to be performing governmental functions of the two states in the performance of its duties hereunder. The commission shall have power to sue and be sued, to use a common seal and to make and adopt suitable by-laws. The commission shall consist of ten members, five of whom shall be citizens and residents of the state of New York and five of whom shall be citizens and residents of the state of New Jersey. For the purpose of doing business the members of the commission shall constitute a board. The present members of the two state boards shall be the first members of the commission for their respective states for the remainder of the terms for which they were respectively appointed. Each member of the commission shall be a citizen and resident of the state of which his predecessor was a citizen and each member of the commission other than the first members shall be appointed by the governor of the state of which his predecessor was a citizen, by and with the approval of the senate of such state. Each member shall take an oath of office to perform faithfully all of the duties of his office according to the best of his ability. Such oath of office may be administered by any officer of the state of which such member is a citizen who is authorized to take oaths of office of any state officer and shall be filed in the office of the secretary of state of such state. The term of office of each member other than said first members shall be five years. Each member shall hold office until his successor shall have been appointed and shall have taken his oath of office, but each term shall be deemed to commence at the end of the preceding five-year term regardless of when the incumbent is appointed or takes the oath of office. If a member shall cease to be a citizen and resident of the state for which he was appointed, he shall cease to be a member of the commission. If a member of the commission shall die, resign, be removed, refuse to act, or cease to be a citizen and resident of the state for which he was appointed, the vacancy so created shall be filled, for the unexpired term only, by the appointment of a citizen and resident of the state of which such member was a citizen by the governor thereof, by and with the approval of the senate of such state. Each member of the commission may be removed from office for neglect of duty or misconduct in office by the governor of the state of which such member is a citizen after giving such member a copy of the charges against him and an opportunity of being publicly heard in person or by counsel or both in his own defense, upon not less than ten days' notice. No member of the commission shall receive any compensation for his services as a member, but each member shall be entitled to receive his actual disbursements for his expenses in performing the duties of his office. The commission shall annually choose a president, a vice president, a treasurer and a secretary from among its members and may also appoint such other officers as it may deem necessary or appropriate to carry out the purposes of this compact.