12. All costs, charges and expenses, including the compensation of the members of the district boards and the compensation and expenses of the county board of elections, the county superintendent of elections, the clerk of the county, and the municipal clerks for any school election held at a time other than the time of the general election shall be paid by the board of education of the school district. All costs, charges and expenses submitted to the board of education for payment shall be itemized and shall include the separate identification of costs to prepare, print and distribute sample ballots. Amounts expended by a county or a municipality in the conduct of school elections for which the board of education shall make payment shall be considered mandated expenditures exempt from the limitations on the county tax levy and from the limitations on final municipal appropriations imposed pursuant to P.L.1976, c.68 (C. 40A:4-45.1 et seq.), and any costs to the board of education which exceed the amount of the costs to that board for the annual school election immediately preceding the enactment of P.L.1995, c.278 (C. 19:60-1 et seq.) shall not be included for the purpose of calculating a school district’s tax levy growth limitation pursuant to P.L.2007, c.62 (C. 18A:7F-37 et al.).

L.1995, c.278, s.12; amended 1996, c.3, s.3; 2011, c.202, s.39.