(a) The towns of East Lyme, Montville, Salem and Waterford may, by ordinance consistent with the provisions of subsections (b) and (c) of this section, establish a Route 11 Greenway Authority Commission which shall be deemed established at such time as the last of the four towns has adopted such ordinance.

(b) Such ordinance shall specify the membership of the commission, which shall consist of the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection, or said commissioner’s designee, the Commissioner of Transportation, or said commissioner’s designee, a member and alternate member from each of the towns of East Lyme, Montville, Salem and Waterford, appointed by the first selectman of each of said towns, and a member and alternate member of the Southeastern Connecticut Council of Governments appointed by said agency. Each member and alternate member shall serve for a term of two years and until such member’s successor is appointed and has qualified. Such appointments may be made at a meeting of the town’s legislative body, to take effect when the last of the four towns has adopted such ordinance. An alternate member shall be empowered to vote on said commission in the absence of the member for whom such person is an alternate. The initial terms of members shall commence when the last of the four towns adopting such ordinance has appointed a member and an alternate member. Any vacancy on the commission shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment for the balance of the unexpired term. No appointed member shall receive any compensation for service on said commission. Said commission shall elect from its members a chairperson and such other officers as it deems necessary and shall establish its own rules of procedure. The commission shall be an autonomous body within the Department of Transportation for administrative purposes only. The commission may employ experts and such other assistants as it judges necessary and may accept funds from any source. Notwithstanding any other provision of the general statutes, any funds appropriated to the commission, or received by the commission from any other source, shall be held in the custody of the commission and expended by the commission for the purposes set forth in this section.

(c) Such ordinance shall also require the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection and the Commissioner of Transportation, not later than sixty days after May 26, 2000, to call a meeting of said commission which shall, within ninety days thereafter:

(1) Hold public hearings for the purpose of developing standards for (A) defining the initial boundaries of the Route 11 Greenway, (B) planning the design, construction, maintenance and management of the Route 11 Greenway and intermodal transportation access system, (C) identifying and prioritizing lands that should be added to the Route 11 Greenway, (D) recommending land use within the Route 11 Greenway, and (E) acquiring land and securing conservation easements for the Route 11 Greenway, except that nothing in public act 00-148* shall be construed to prohibit the acquisition of land within the Route 11 Greenway by a municipality; and

(2) Establish by-laws by which the commission shall (A) conduct its meetings, including a provision specifying that no action by the commission shall be effective except by the concurring vote of at least four members, (B) protect and preserve the lands under its custody, (C) supervise staff, (D) maintain its records, and (E) report to the General Assembly, as required under subsection (d) of this section.

(d) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section or the general statutes, the commission may: (1) Acquire or convey by purchase, gift, lease, devise, exchange or otherwise, any land or interest therein including, but not limited to, conservation easements, located wholly or partly in the conservation zone, or enter into covenants or agreements with owners of any land or interest therein to purchase options to acquire such land or interest therein, provided state funds may be used only to the extent that such funds have been authorized specifically by an act of the General Assembly for the acquisition of land located within two thousand feet of the Department of Transportation’s right-of-way; (2) transfer, with the approval of the commissioner, any land or interest therein to the state with or without consideration, provided any funds received therefor shall not be deemed funds furnished by the state for the purposes of this section; (3) contribute or transfer funds to, and enter into agreements with, land trusts or other conservation organizations, to carry out the purposes of public act 00-148*; and (4) request the Commissioner of Transportation to acquire an interest in real property or an option to purchase real property on behalf of the commission for use as part of the Route 11 Greenway and, if acquired by said commissioner, accept the transfer of custody and control of such interest from said commissioner. Said commissioner may acquire any interest in real property for use as part of the Route 11 Greenway in the same manner and with like powers as authorized and exercised by said commissioner in acquiring real property for highway purposes and may, upon request of the commission, transfer custody and control of such interest in real property to the commission. The commission shall report to the General Assembly, on or before February fifteenth, annually, on its activities of the preceding year and on its finances. The existence of the commission shall terminate at such time as all of its member towns have withdrawn or it is abolished by the General Assembly.