52:18A-242 No modification by municipality of school facilities project; agreements with local government agencies.

8. a. No municipality shall modify or change the drawings, plans or specifications for the construction, reconstruction, rehabilitation, alteration or improvement of any school facilities project of the development authority, or the construction, plumbing, heating, lighting or other mechanical branch of work necessary to complete the work in question, nor to require that any person, firm or corporation employed on any such work shall perform the work in any other or different manner than that provided by the drawings, plans and specifications, nor to require that any person, firm or corporation obtain any other or additional authority, approval, permit or certificate from the municipality in relation to the work being done, and the doing of the work by any person, firm or corporation in accordance with the terms of the drawings, plans, specifications or contracts shall not subject the person, firm or corporation to any liability or penalty, civil or criminal, other than as may be stated in the contracts or incidental to the proper enforcement thereof; nor shall any municipality require the development authority or any person, firm, partnership or corporation which leases or purchases the school facilities project for lease or purchase to a State agency, to obtain any other or additional authority, approval, permit, certificate or certificate of occupancy from the municipality as a condition of owning, using, maintaining, operating or occupying any school facilities project acquired, constructed, reconstructed, rehabilitated, altered or improved by the development authority or by any subsidiary thereof. The foregoing provisions shall not preclude any municipality from exercising the right of inspection for the purpose of requiring compliance by any school facilities project with local requirements for operation and maintenance affecting the health, safety and welfare of the occupants thereof, provided that the compliance does not require changes, modifications or additions to the original construction of the school facilities project.

b. Each municipality in which any school facilities project of the development authority is located shall provide for the school facilities project, whether then owned by the development authority, any subsidiary, any State agency, or any person, firm, partnership or corporation, police, fire, sanitation, health protection and other municipal services of the same character and to the same extent as those provided for other residents of the municipality.

c. Notwithstanding the provisions of any law, rule or regulation to the contrary and except as otherwise provided by any federal law, the development authority shall be exempt from all connection, tapping, maintenance or capital improvement fees or charges in respect to each connection of any school facility project with a water or sewerage system operated by a political subdivision or agency of the State.

d. In carrying out any school facilities project, the development authority may enter into contractual agreements with local government agencies with respect to the furnishing of any community, municipal, or public facilities or services necessary or desirable for the school facilities project, and any local government agency may enter into these contractual agreements with the authority and do all things necessary to carry out its obligations.

L.2007, c.137, s.8.