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New Jersey municipal government
Traditional types
Borough Township City Town Village
Modern forms
Walsh Act commission 1923 municipal manager
Faulkner Act forms
Mayor–council Council–manager Small municipality Mayor–council–administrator
Nonstandard forms
Special charter
Changing form of municipal government
Charter Study Commission
v t e

The Walsh Act is a piece of legislation in the U.S. state of New Jersey that permits municipalities to adopt a non-partisan commission form of government. The legislation was signed by Governor of New Jersey Woodrow Wilson on April 25, 1911. The commissions in Walsh Act municipalities are composed of either three or five members elected for four-year concurrent terms. The commissioners also serve as department heads in addition to their legislative functions. The commissioners elect one commissioner as mayor, who serves as chair of the commission. With few exceptions, Walsh Act mayors have no powers over and above their fellow commissioners, and are only responsible for their specific department(s).

The Walsh Act was modeled on the commission system that was set up in Galveston, Texas in the wake of the devastating Hurricane of 1900. As part of its reconstruction efforts, the city reorganized itself to a government system in which each elected official had a specific area of responsibility, combining executive and legislative responsibilities. The Walsh Act was enacted in 1911, and specified that commissioners would be elected at large in nonpartisan elections, and would serve four-year, concurrent terms of office. The Walsh Act was the first charter law in New Jersey to include options for ballot initiatives, referendums and recall.

The popularity of the Walsh Act form of government declined from a peak of about 60 in the early years after it was created to a total of approximately 30 statewide in 2018, of which six in North Jersey and the remainder are largely in Jersey Shore communities.

Municipalities with a five member commission

These communities have five commissioners:

• Commissioner of Public Affairs
• Commissioner of Public Safety
• Commissioner of Public Works
• Commissioner of Parks and Public Property
• Commissioner of Revenue and Finance

Municipalities with a three member commission

These communities have three commissioners:

• Commissioner of Public Affairs and Public Safety
• Commissioner of Public Works, Parks and Public Property
• Commissioner of Revenue and Finance

See also

• 1923 Municipal Manager Law

References

1. Wolfe, Albert J. "A History of Municipal Government in New Jersey Since 1798", New Jersey State League of Municipalities. Accessed April 30, 2008.
2. Proctor, Owen; and Sobko, Katie. "Town commissions have become a New Jersey rarity", The Record (Bergen County), April 30, 2018, updated May 6, 2018. Accessed October 6, 2019. "Commissions rose in popularity, up to 60 statewide in the early part of the last century, from large cities and older suburbs to seaside resorts.... Today, only about 30 of New Jersey’s 565 municipalities are commissions, including six in North Jersey. There are North Bergen, Union City and West New York in Hudson County, Lyndhurst and Ridgefield Park in Bergen County, and Nutley in Essex County."

External links

• The Commission Form of Municipal Government (PDF)
• A History of Municipal Government in New Jersey Since 1798 (PDF)

• Walsh Act
• Local government in New Jersey
• 1911 in American law
• 1911 in New Jersey
• Local government legislation
• History of local government in the United States