lawful.

or drains and appurtenances, which such municipalities may desire to jointly construct, build and maintain under the authority conferred by this act, and for such purpose and before determining upon a final route and plan for the building or construction of any public improvement or work authorized by this act, and for the making of the surveys, maps, plans, reports and estimates as provided in this section, it shall be lawful for the municipalities desiring to Certain acts make such improvements, by their officers, agents, servants and employes, to enter at all times upon any lands or waters, for the purpose of exploring, surveying, leveling and laying out the route of any outlet or trunk sewer, sewers or drains and appurtenances, locating storage basins or pumping or other works, establishing grades and for the doing of all necessary preliminary work, doing, however, no unnecessary damage or injury to private or other property; such surveys, Surveys, etc., maps, plans, reports and estimates, or true copies thereof, delivered to shall be delivered by the persons making the same to the clerk of each of the municipalities joining in the expense of making the same, together with a statement or estimate of the cost and expense of such proposed improvement, and the percentage of such cost and expense proposed to be apportioned to and paid by each of such municipalities, and also an estimate of the annual cost of maintenance, repairs, operation and supervision of such proposed improvements, to be annually paid by each of such municipalities after the completion of such improvements; said clerks of the respect- Consideration of ive municipalities interested as aforesaid shall immediately reports. submit to the governing body or board of such municipality having charge of the construction of sewers and drains in such municipality, all the surveys, maps, plans, reports, estimates and statements so delivered to him, and said municipal body or board shall immediately thereafter proceed to consider the same, and if the said board shall not approve If not approved. the same and decide not to join in the construction of the proposed improvements to which the matters submitted relate, then said board shall pass a resolution declaring its refusal to join in the construction of the said public improvements, and a copy of such resolution, duly certified by the clerk thereof, shall be served on the clerk of each of the other municipalities to whom like service was made as on the clerk of the municipality so refusing; if, on the contrary, If approved. such governing body or board of such municipality, as afore

Municipalities so agreeing to enter into joint

contracts.

Ordinance.

said, shall, after such consideration, by resolution duly adopted, approve the surveys, maps, plans, reports, estimates and statements so submitted to it as aforesaid, then it shall cause such surveys, maps, plans, reports, estimates and statements to be filed with the clerk of such municipality, there to remain of record; a copy of the said resolution of approval certified by the municipal clerk shall be by him served on the clerk of each of the other municipalities interested in the making of the surveys, maps, plans, reports, estimates and statements so submitted and approved as aforesaid; it shall be lawful for any two or more of the municipalities so adopting such resolution of approval as aforesaid, and desiring to unite in the construction and making and maintaining of such public improvements as aforesaid, to thereupon respectively authorize, by an ordinance duly passed, the making and entering into, by and on behalf of such municipalities respectively, of a joint contract or contracts in writing (for which authority is hereby fully given) with such other municipality or municipalities as may then or thereafter desire to unite for the joint building and constructing, operating and maintaining of such outlet or trunk sewer or sewers at the joint cost and expense of such contracting or associated municipalities, and as may be provided and specified in said contract, and for the construction of any necessary storage basins for collecting the sewage of such contracting or associated municipalities, or of any municipality located therein, and for acquiring the right to connect with and use any outlet or trunk sewer or sewers, or system of sewers and appurtenances that may have been theretofore constructed, or that may thereafter be constructed, within or by any other municipality, or within or by any of the municipalities so jointly contracting as aforesaid; such ordinance shall generally describe the route or line, size, capacity and extent of the proposed outlet or trunk sewer or sewers or drains and appurtenances to be jointly constructed by the municipalities contracting therefor with each other as aforesaid; also a general description of the main or trunk sewers or drains, if any, to be connected with such outlet or trunk sewer, and forming a part of such outlet or trunk sewer system; such ordinance shall also prescribe and fix the percentage of the capacity of such outlet or trunk sewer or sewers or drains and appurtenances or connections, to the use of which such municipality shall be entitled; also the percentage of the total cost, damages

and expense of said improvements to be paid by each contracting municipality; after the passage of such ordinance by such municipality, pursuant to the laws governing the same, it shall be lawful for the proper officers thereof to join with the proper officers of the other municipalities so authorized by ordinance, in executing a joint contract in accordance with the provisions of the ordinance of such municipality hereby authorized to be enacted by such municipality, and such municipality and all the other contracting municipalities are hereby authorized to do any and all acts necessary or advisable regarding the execution and recording of such joint

contract.

its composition,

proceedings, powers, duties.

2. After the execution by two or more municipalities in Joint meeting: this state of a contract pursuant to the provisions of the first organization, section of this act, and the same is duly recorded in the office of the clerk of the county or counties wherein such contract- etc. ing municipalities are situate, it shall be lawful for the respective governing bodies or boards of the municipalities so contracting having authority to construct sewers and drains therein, and it shall be their duty, to meet in joint meeting, at such time and place as may be fixed in writing by a majority of the presiding officers of such bodies or boards; and such bodies or boards of said contracting municipalities shall meet at the time and place so to be designated as aforesaid, and shall proceed at once to organize as a joint meeting, by electing, by ballot, a member of one of the bodies or boards of the municipalities composing such joint meeting, a permanent chairman of such joint meeting; said joint meeting shall, immediately after selecting a permanent chairman, and at the same meeting, proceed to elect a secretary and a treasurer and such other officers, servants and agents, and fix their compensation, as a majority of the municipal bodies or boards present and voting in such joint meeting shall deem proper and advisable; such joint meeting shall continue to exist until the full completion of the work or improvement mentioned and referred to in the contract between the several municipalities as aforesaid, and for such further time as may be provided in said contract; such joint meeting may meet and adjourn from time to time, as it may deem advisable, during the progress and continuance of the work of such public improvements and until the completion thereof, as a majority of the municipal boards thereof may determine; each municipality, through its body or

board represented in such joint meeting, shall be entitled to one vote therein on all motions, resolutions, appointments and all other proceedings taken in or by such joint meeting, and such vote shall be cast and announced as directed by the members of such municipal body or board present in such joint meeting; a majority of the municipal bodies or boards so contracting and entitled to be represented in such joint. meeting, when present, shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business, and such majority shall be and are authorized to adopt and make rules of order governing the proceedings of such joint meeting, and rules for the government of the officers, agents and servants employed or appointed by the same, and the majority vote aforesaid shall be necessary to pass or adopt any motion or resolution by such joint meeting; all proceedings and official action whatsoever, necessary to be taken under the contract or contracts for such public improvements made by municipalities under this act, shall be taken and had by such joint meeting exclusively, except in matters relating to the raising and paying of the money provided to be paid by the contracting municipalities in the contract to be made and entered into thereby, pursuant to the provisions of this act, and in all such matters each contracting municipality shall act in its separate corporate capacity, as provided in such contract or by this or other laws of this state applicable to each municipality; all actions and proceedings of the said joint meeting, pursuant to such contract between them, shall be considered and construed to be done by or under authority of the respective municipalities contracting and represented in such joint meeting, and as if done by each municipality in its separate corporate capacity, and the official actions of such joint meeting, taken in the matters aforesaid, and not contrary to the provisions of this act, shall be obligatory and binding upon each and all of such contracting municipalities in its and their corporate capacity as if the same had been done or taken in the separate corporate name thereof and by its separate corporate action; such joint meeting shall provide a proper meeting-room in which to hold its meetings, and shall also provide proper rooms or buildings for the transaction of the business of its officers, agents and servants, and such joint meeting shall be authorized to contract for the payment of the necessary rent of such meeting-room or offices or other rooms or building necessary for its business

and the safe keeping of its property, and to accomplish its objects; the chairman, secretary and treasurer of such joint meeting, and such other officers or servants thereof as may be required by such joint meeting, before entering upon the discharge of their duties, shall each take and subscribe an oath or affirmation to faithfully and impartially discharge the duties of his office to the best of his skill and understanding, and, if required, shall each enter into bond, with satisfactory surety, to the municipalities jointly contracting, in such sum as may be fixed by such joint meeting; the said joint meeting may fill vacancies occurring at any time in the offices or positions under its control; the secretary and treasurer and other officers of such joint meeting, except the chairman, need not be members of any municipal board represented therein.

land, rights, etc.

Proceedings at

law instituted in

names of

municipalities.

3. The said joint meeting acting on behalf and in the Power to acquire corporate names of the several municipalities jointly contracting with each other regarding the public improvements authorized to be jointly made under the provisions of this act, and represented in such joint meeting, shall have full power, in the joint name of all the contracting municipalities, to purchase and acquire all lands, rights or interests in land which may be deemed necessary for the construction of any and all the outlet or trunk sewers, drains, or for storage, pumping and other works and appurtenances connected therewith; all proceedings at law or in equity relating to the doing of the work of the public improvements authorized by this act, and accomplishing the purposes contemplated by the provisions of this act, shall be instituted or taken and conducted in the joint corporate names or titles of all the municipalities contracting for the joint construction and building of such outlet or trunk sewer or sewers or drains and appurtenances, or other improvements or work hereby authorized in connec tion therewith, and when authorized or approved by the joint meeting herein provided for, shall be deemed, taken and construed to have been taken and done for the proportionate benefit of all such contracting municipalities in accordance with the terms of the contract between them; all sub-contracts, bills, estimates, measurements and all pay- All payments ments of money whatever, relating to or done or growing approved by out of the public work or improvement hereby authorized, joint meeting. shall, before becoming effective or binding, be approved by

must be