52:18A-78.5. Powers of authority

5. Except as otherwise limited by this act, the authority shall have power:

a. To make and alter bylaws for its organization and internal management and, subject to agreements with noteholders and bondholders, to make rules and regulations with respect to its projects, operations, properties and facilities.

b. To adopt an official seal and alter the same at pleasure.

c. To sue and be sued.

d. To make and enter into all contracts and agreements necessary or incidental to the performance of its duties and the exercise of its powers under this act.

e. To enter into agreements or other transactions with and accept grants and the cooperation of the United States or any agency thereof or any State agency in furtherance of the purposes of this act, including but not limited to the development, maintenance, operation and financing of any project and to do any and all things necessary in order to avail itself of this aid and cooperation.

f. To receive and accept aid or contributions from any source of money, property, labor or other things of value, to be held, used and applied to carry out the purposes of this act subject to such conditions upon which this aid and these contributions may be made, including but not limited to, gifts or grants from any department or agency of the United States or any State agency for any purpose consistent with this act.

g. To acquire, own, hold, sell, assign, exchange, lease, mortgage or otherwise dispose of real and personal property or any interest therein in the exercise of its powers and the performance of its duties under this act.

h. To appoint an executive director and such other officers, employees and agents as it may require for the performance of its duties, and to fix their compensation, promote and discharge them, all without regard to the provisions of Title 11 of the Revised Statutes.

i. To acquire, construct, reconstruct, rehabilitate, renovate, preserve, improve, alter or repair or provide for the construction, reconstruction, improvement, alteration or repair of any project and let, award and enter into construction contracts, purchase orders and other contracts with respect thereto in such manner as the authority shall determine.

j. To arrange or contract with a county or municipality for the planning, replanning, opening, grading or closing of streets, roads, roadways, alleys or other places, or for the furnishing of facilities or for the acquisition by a county or municipality of property or property rights or for the furnishing of property or services, in connection with a project.

k. To sell, lease, assign, transfer, convey, exchange, mortgage or otherwise dispose of or encumber any project or other property no longer needed to carry out the public purposes of the authority and, in the case of the sale of any project or property, to accept a purchase money mortgage in connection therewith; and to lease, repurchase or otherwise acquire and hold any project or property which the authority has theretofore sold, leased or otherwise conveyed, transferred or disposed of.

l. To grant options to purchase any project or to renew any leases entered into by it in connection with any of its projects, on such terms and conditions as it deems advisable.

m. To acquire by purchase, lease or otherwise, on such terms and conditions and in such manner as it may deem proper, or by the exercise of the power of eminent domain, except with respect to lands owned by the State or any public lands reserved for recreation and conservation purposes, any land and other property, including railroad lands and land under water, which it may determine is reasonably necessary for any of its projects or for the relocation or reconstruction of any highway by the authority and any and all rights, title and interest in that land and other property, including public lands, highways or parkways, owned by or in which a State agency or local governmental agency has any right, title or interest, or parts thereof or rights therein and any fee simple absolute or any lesser interest in private property, and any fee simple absolute in, easements upon or the benefit of restrictions upon, abutting property to preserve and protect any project.

n. To prepare or cause to be prepared plans, specifications, designs and estimates of costs for the construction, reconstruction, rehabilitation, improvement, alteration or repair of any project, and from time to time to modify these plans, specifications, designs or estimates.

o. To sell, lease, rent, sublease or otherwise dispose of any project or any space embraced in any project to any State agency or to any person, firm, partnership or corporation for sale, leasing, rental or subleasing to any State agency, and, where applicable, to establish and revise the purchase price, rents or other charges therefor; provided, however, that the incurrence of any liabilities by a State agency under any agreement entered into with the authority pursuant to the aforesaid authorization, including, without limitation, the payment of any and all rentals or other amounts required to be paid by the agency thereunder, shall be subject to and dependent upon appropriations being made from time to time by the Legislature for that purpose and approval by the presiding officers, or such other officers as may be provided by law, of both houses of any such lease.

p. To sell, lease, rent, sublease or otherwise dispose of, to any person, firm, partnership or corporation, any surplus space in any project over and above that sold, leased, rented, subleased or otherwise disposed of to State agencies and to establish and revise the purchase price, rents or charges therefor.

q. To approve of the selection of any tenant not a State agency under a lease or sublease agreement for the use or occupation of any portion of a building in which a project is located.

r. To manage or operate any project or real or personal property related thereto whether owned or leased by the authority or any State agency or any person, firm, partnership or corporation, and to enter into agreements with any State agency, or any local governmental agency, or with any person, firm, association, partnership or corporation, either public or private, for the purpose of causing any project or related property to be managed.

s. To provide advisory, consultative, training and educational services, technical assistance and advice to any person, firm, association, partnership or corporation, either public or private, in order to carry out the purposes of this act.

t. Subject to the provisions of any contract with noteholders or bondholders to consent to any modification, amendment or revision of any kind of any contract, lease or agreement of any kind to which the authority is a party.

u. To determine, after holding a public hearing in the municipality in which the project is to be located, except as otherwise provided in section 6 of this act, the location, type and character of the project or any part thereof and all other matters in connection with all or any part of the project, notwithstanding any land use plan, zoning regulation, building code or similar regulation heretofore or hereafter adopted by any municipality, county, public body corporate and politic, or any other political subdivision of the State.

v. To borrow money and to issue its bonds and notes and to secure the same and provide for the rights of the holders thereof as provided in this act.

w. Subject to any agreement with bondholders or noteholders, to invest moneys of the authority not required for immediate use, including proceeds from the sale of any bonds or notes, in those obligations, securities and other investments as the authority shall deem prudent.

x. To procure insurance against any loss in connection with its property and other assets and operations in such amounts and from such insurers as it deems desirable.

y. To engage the services of architects, engineers, attorneys, accountants, building contractors, urban planners, landscape architects and financial experts and such other advisors, consultants and agents as may be necessary in its judgment and to fix their compensation.

z. To do any act necessary or convenient to the exercise of the foregoing powers or reasonably implied therefrom.

L.1981,c.120,s.5; amended 1983,c.138,s.4; 1992,c.174,s.10.