Passaic County Board of County Commissioners
What is a County Commissioner?
New Jersey has 21 counties governed by a Board of County Commissioners.
No two counties are exactly the same. A County’s demographic, geographic, and economic characteristics dictate how services are delivered to their communities. The organization and structure of counties are tailored to fit their communities’ needs and characteristics.
In Passaic County’s commission form of government, the Commissioners discharge both the legislative and executive responsibilities of government. The seven-member board is headed by a Director who is selected to serve a one-year term at the Board’s annual reorganization meeting, which is held in January.
Each Commissioner is elected at large for a staggered three-year term.
What do Commissioners do?
The Passaic County Board of County Commissioners is responsible for an annual budget of about $455 million serving approximately 501,000 residents in 16 municipalities. Some of the initiatives they support include, but are not limited to:
- Passaic County’s 248 miles of roads and 358 bridges
- Parks with more than 4,044 acres of recreational and open space
- The Passaic County Sheriff ’s Office, which is responsible for county-wide public safety, the Passaic County Jail, County Courthouse security, as well as the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office
- The Preakness Healthcare Center, a 406-bed skilled nursing facility providing sub-acute, long-term, respite, and hospice care
- The Passaic County Community College, serving 8,000 students
- The Passaic County Technical Institute, a vocational/technical high school serving 3,200 students
- Social Service Programs for the elderly, poor, and people with disabilities
- Other services, such as mental health and anti-addiction services, veterans’ programs, and heating assistance