Alameda County Municipal Code Ch. 2.86 Parks, Recreation and Historical Commission

There is in the county a parks, recreation and historical commission, hereafter in this chapter referred to as the commission.

(Prior admin. code § 5-37.01)

A. The commission shall consist of nine members appointed by the board of supervisors. The supervisor representing District 5 shall appoint one representative and the supervisors representing Districts 1, 2, 3, and 4 shall appoint two representatives each. The current fifteen (15) member board shall transition to a nine member board by attrition, or by action taken by the board of supervisors. A nine member body shall be in place by 2012.

B. The members of the commission shall be residents of the county.

C. Each member of the commission shall have demonstrated interest and experience in either historical preservation or recreation.

1. At least two commission members are encouraged to be appointed from among professionals in the disciplines of history, architecture, architectural history, planning, pre-historic and historic archeology, folklore, cultural anthropology, curation, conservation, and landscape architecture or related disciplines, such as American studies, American civilization, engineering, or cultural geography, to the extent that such professionals are available in the community.

2. Commission membership may also include lay members who have demonstrated special interests, knowledge, or competence in historic preservation.

(Prior admin. code § 5-37.02)

(Ord. No. 2012-5, § 1, 1-10-12)

The members of the commission shall serve at the pleasure of the board of supervisors and shall have terms of four years. Their terms shall be staggered so that no more than four terms expire in any one year, and so that no supervisor makes more than one appointment in one year, except to fill an unexpired vacancy. No one member shall serve more than three successive four-year terms. Any vacancy on the commission shall be filled by the board of supervisors; persons appointed to fill vacancies shall serve for the unexpired term of the persons they succeed. The board of supervisors shall act within sixty (60) days to fill a vacancy.

(Ord. No. 2012-5, § 2, 1-10-12)

The county historian shall act as a nonvoting, nonpaid member of the commission to provide advice on historical matters to the commission. The position shall not fall within the two four-year term stipulation or attendance stipulation of appointed members. Mileage stipend of appointed commissioners for meeting attendance shall be paid to the county historian for commission meetings.

(Prior admin. code § 5-37.03)

The commission shall annually select one of its members to serve as the chair and one of its members to serve as the vice chair and shall appoint a secretary. The secretary shall be a member of the commission or a county employee. In the event that the chair falls vacant for any reason, the vice chair shall automatically succeed to the chair, and the vice chair shall be filled by election at the next meeting. A quorum shall consist of a majority of the members appointed to the commission. The commission shall conduct regular meetings as specified in its adopted rules and regulations for the conduct of commission business. Special meetings may be called at any time by the chair or by a quorum of the commission. The appointments of any members who have been absent from three successive regular or special meetings or who have not attended at least two-thirds of the regular or special meetings in a twelve-month period without the approval of said commission shall be automatically terminated, and the board of supervisors shall appoint their successors.

Members whose appointments have been terminated due to nonattendance shall not be reappointed to the commission. The commission shall adopt rules and regulations for the conduct of its business not consistent herewith, and any such rules and regulations shall be published and made available to the public.

(Prior admin. code § 5-37.04)

The board of supervisors shall furnish the commission with necessary quarters, personnel, equipment and supplies, together with usual and necessary operating expenses in accordance with the established public policy of budget and personnel.

(Prior admin. code § 5-37.05)

No member of the commission shall participate in any recommendation affecting any project in which he/she is interested directly or indirectly.

(Prior admin. code § 5-37.06)

In addition to those responsibilities conferred to it within Title 17 of the Alameda County Ordinance Code, the powers and duties of the commission shall be to:

A. Participate in historic preservation activities in the county, and to ensure that all historical resources are recognized as such;

B. Assist in the coordination of the activities of the various local and regional park districts and departments to provide a balanced park and recreation program in the county and to avoid unnecessary duplication of facilities;

C. Foster public participation in matters pertaining to historic preservation and recreation;

D. Coordinate with, and make recommendations to, other governmental agencies regarding historic preservation and recreation matters;

E. Conduct studies and surveys of historic properties in the unincorporated areas of Alameda County;

F. Provide to the board of supervisors recommendations regarding the acquisition, preservation, public display, and disposition of sites, buildings, documents and artifacts pertaining to the historical and cultural heritage of Alameda County;

G. Support, initiate or collaborate with other organizations to promote and enhance knowledge of the history and cultural heritage of Alameda County;

H. Review all requests for historical zoning and advise the planning commission and the board of supervisors as to the historical significance of the property in question. On request, it shall advise other public agencies and private groups as to the historical significance of properties in the county;

I. Review and make recommendations on land development applications for properties located within "HP," historic preservation districts;

J. Review nominations for inclusion and proposals for deletion from the Alameda County Register of Historic Resources;

K. Compile, maintain and update information in the Alameda County Register of Historic Resources;

L. Review and make recommendations on certificates of appropriateness;

M. Maintain a directory of parks and historical resources located within the county;

N. Review all legislation relative to historical resources and report its recommendations to the board of supervisors. The commission also may take its own stand supporting or opposing legislation.

O. Review and advise the board of supervisors, or other appropriate agency, regarding all requests for county funds for parks, historical facilities or programs. The commission shall advise the board of supervisors on distribution of other funds which are available to the county, including bond act funds. The commission also shall assist the coordination of applications for funding from others sources, such as the land and water conservation fund, between the various local, regional and county agencies, and shall advise the board of supervisors as to interest of the county affected by the dispersal of any such funds;

P. Advise the County on reviews called for under the California Environmental Quality Act, National Environmental Protection Act, and National Historic Preservation Act on actions affecting historic resources in Alameda County;

Q. Make recommendations to the board of supervisors, the planning commission, county departments, or any other entity, for purposes of providing historic preservation incentives, including, without limitation, procedural, economic and tax incentives, acquisition of property, development rights, preservation easements, conservation easements, land use, zoning, development restrictions, penalties and sanctions, fee adjustments, and negotiated settlements;

R. Assume duties assigned to the commission by the board of supervisors pursuant to the certified local government provisions of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, or duties that may be assigned to the commission through any agreement(s) approved by the board of supervisors. This shall include undertaking review and comment upon those projects on which the county, as a certified local government, has an obligation or opportunity to provide review and comment under the National Historic Preservation Act, including but not limited to private and public projects undertaken within Alameda County involving one or more landmarks or historic preservation districts;

S. Review applications for Mills Act contracts;

T. Foster and promote the preservation of historic records;

U. Adopt a historic preservation plan or element; and

V. Carry out any other duties dealing with historical resources, recreation and parks in the county which the board of supervisors may from time to time assign to it.

(Prior admin. code § 5-37.07)

(Ord. No. 2012-5, § 3, 1-10-12)