The League of Women Voters
of New Jersey

a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization whose purpose is to promote political responsibility
through informed and active participation in government

Overview
County Government Officials
List of Counties in New Jersey

New Jersey County Government

New Jersey has 21 counties, each governed by a Board of Chosen Freeholders. The county government is responsible for the construction and maintenance of county roads and bridges and the operation of a county jail. It may operate many programs such as police and fire training academies and emergency services, maintain park and recreation systems, administer programs for special groups, and usually assumes public health functions.

Freeholder boards consist of three to nine members, elected at large for terms of three years on a staggered basis. Its members are policy makers and administrators. One freeholder, selected as director of the board, presides over meetings and has voice and vote in board proceedings. The board typically operates through committees which administer the operations of county government.

The optional County Charter Law, enacted in 1972, allows for four additional forms of county government--county manager, county executive, county supervisor, and board president. All options allow a freeholder board of five, seven, or nine members elected at large, by districts, or a combination of the two with concurrent or staggered three-year terms. All forms provide the voters with procedures for initiative, referendum, and recall of elected officials.

• The county manager form has a manager appointed by the freeholders as chief executive and administrative official. The manager appoints and removes department heads, negotiates contracts, prepares the budget and advises the freeholder board.
  
  
• The county executive plan has an elected chief executive who appoints a business administrator as well as heads of county boards and commissions.

• The county supervisor and board president options are variations which give greater authority to the freeholder board over administrative matter.

Currently Union County has a county manager system and Atlantic, Bergen, Essex, Hudson and Mercer have chosen a county executive plan.

County Officials

Sharing in county functions are several elected and state-appointed officials. Each county has three constitutional officers -- sheriff, county clerk, and surrogate.

• The sheriff, elected for a three year term, is responsible for operation of the courts and may operate the county jail.
• The county clerk, elected for a five-year term, is a clerk of the Law Division of Superior Court. The county clerk is responsible for election materials, county records, registering deeds, and processing applications for passports and naturalization papers.
• The surrogate, elected for a five-year term, probates wills, supervises minors' trust accounts, handles incompetency filings, and rules on administrative matters in uncontested probates and guardianships.
• Counties with populations over 250,000 may establish by referendum a register of deeds and mortgages who is elected for a five-year term. Essex, Hudson, Passaic and Union counties have this office.
• County superintendent of schools, appointed by and responsible to the state commissioner of education, monitors the public school laws and expenditure of state school aid.
• The county prosecutor, appointed by the governor and responsible to the New Jersey Attorney General, is the chief criminal law enforcement officer.
• The Board of Elections, composed of two Democrats and two Republicans appointed by the Governor, supervises voter registration, keeps records of eligible voters, provides voting machines and settles certain controversies having to do with elections.

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  New Jersey Counties
  
  

  County	County Seat	Telephone
  Atlantic	Mays Landing	609-641-7867
  Bergen	Hackensack	201-336-7020
  Burlington	Mount Holly	609-265-5000
  Camden	Camden	856-225-5000
  Cape May	Cape May Court House	609-465-1000
  Cumberland	Bridgeton	856-451-8000
  Essex	Newark	973-621-5000
  Gloucester	Woodbury	856-853-3200
  Hudson	Jersey City	201-795-6000
  Hunterdon	Flemington	908-788-1221
  Mercer	Trenton	609-989-6495
  Middlesex	New Brunswick	732-745-3000
  Monmouth	Freehold	732-431-7000
  Morris	Morristown	973-285-6010
  Ocean	Toms River	732-244-2121
  Passaic	Paterson	973-881-4000
  Salem	Salem	856-935-7510
  Somerset	Somerville	908-231-7000
  Sussex	Newton	973-579-0200
  Union	Elizabeth	908-527-4100
  Warren	Belvidere	908-475-6500

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