9:12A-1. Establishment of children's shelter; management; funds

25. The governing body of any county may establish, equip and maintain a home for the temporary detention of children, separated entirely from any place of confinement of adults, to be known as "The Children's Shelter of .................. County," which shall be conducted as an agency for the purposes of caring for the children of the county whose cases are pending before the Superior Court, Chancery Division, Family Part in the county or who are homeless or abandoned, abused, neglected or cruelly treated, or who, being under 16 years of age, are witnesses before such court or some other court.

The governing body of the county may appropriate sufficient funds for the purchase of property and the building or buildings and the furnishing of supplies and equipment therefor from the annual appropriations, or if they consider the amount too great to add to the annual appropriation, they may issue bonds for such purpose.

The building may be built on property owned by the county or the governing body of the county may acquire the same by gift, purchase or condemnation.

The governing body of the county may appoint a committee of 7 citizens of the county, who together with the director of the governing body of the county as ex-officio shall constitute the board of trustees of the children's shelter. The board of trustees shall make the rules and regulations for the management of the children's shelter and the groupings of the children therein.

In any county in which a children's shelter is or shall be established and operated pursuant to this section, solely for children who are homeless or abandoned, abused, neglected or cruelly treated, the governing body of the county may, by resolution, determine to operate and manage such children's shelter instead of appointing a board of trustees for such purpose, in which case the governing body of the county shall have and may exercise all the powers of a board of trustees as provided in this section.

The shelter shall be in the charge of a superintendent, and the board of managers, or the governing body of the county, as the case may be, shall have authority to appoint the superintendent, and other employees in like manner as other county employees are appointed; the governing body of the county shall provide the funds for carrying on the shelter and for the betterments, improvements and replacements that may be required, in the annual appropriations, but money for new buildings and the equipment thereof and other permanent improvements may be raised by bond issue.

L.1953,c.9,s.25; amended 1953,c.428,s.10; 1958,c.100; 1990,c.26,s.8; 1991,c.91,s.210.