El Centro Municipal Code Div. 1 Generally

For the purpose of this article, the term "city planning commission" shall be taken to mean the city planning commission, created as provided in section 20-35.

(Ord. No. 322, § 1; Code 1962, § 21-1)

Cross reference— Rules of construction and definitions generally, § 1-3.

The city planning commission is hereby created and established.

(Ord. No. 322, § 1; Code 1961, § 21-2)

(a) The city planning commission shall be composed of seven (7) appointive members, to be appointed by the mayor with the approval of the council.

(b) In addition to these seven (7) members, the mayor, the city engineer and the city attorney shall be ex officio members of the city planning commission.

(c) The term of office of the appointive members of the city planning commission shall be four (4) years, subject to the provisions of this section; the ex officio members shall serve during their legal term of office.

(d) At the expiration of each term of office of an appointive member, a new appointive member shall be appointed. However, in case of failure on the part of the mayor and council to make such appointment, the incumbent commissioner shall serve until his successor has been duly appointed.

(e) All appointments made after the expiration of the terms of the first set of commissioners shall be for a period of four (4) years.

(f) To be eligible for appointment to the planning commission, the nominee need not be a resident of the city at the time of appointment so long as the nominee is a resident and is domiciled within the boundaries of the local agency formation commission approved sphere of influence for the city and such residence/domicile is within one mile distance from the current city boundaries. Any planning commissioner who at the time of his/her appointment is a city resident or becomes a city resident thereafter who subsequent to appointment changes his/her place of residence from within the boundaries of the city shall be deemed to have vacated his/her office. At any one time there shall be no more than one non-city resident serving as a voting member of the planning commission.

(Ord. No. 322, § 1; Ord. No. 684, § 1; Code 1962, § 21-3; Ord. No. 82-25, § 1; Ord. No. 92-3, § 1)

All vacancies on the city planning commission due to causes other than the expiration of a term shall be filled for the unexpired term.

(Ord. No. 322, § 2; Code 1962, § 21-4)

Members of the city planning commission shall serve without compensation.

(Ord. No. 322, § 3; Code 1962, § 21-5)

(a) A member of the city planning commission shall not be removed before expiration of his term unless (1) such member has been removed by appropriate order of a court of competent jurisdiction; or, (2) such member has lost his/her United States citizenship; or, (3) the city council has found the incumbent guilty of malfeasance in office, or, (4) such member has changed his/her residence from within the city boundaries to outside the current city boundaries, or, (5) the non-city resident member changes his residence to a location outside the non-resident eligibility area described in subsection (f) of section 20-36.

(b) In the case of a removal described in subsection (a)(1) of this section, the city council shall immediately declare the office vacant.

(c) In the case of a removal described in subsection (a) (2) and (3), the city council shall make such determination and order of vacancy upon a two-thirds vote of the current members of the council.

(d) In the case of a removal described in subsection (a)(4) and (5) of this section, the city council shall make such determination upon a majority vote of the city council.

(Ord. No. 322, § 8; Code 1962, § 21-6; Ord. No. 92-3, § 2)

The city planning commission shall select, from among its own members, a chairman who shall serve for the period of one year, but may be reelected at the pleasure of the commission.

(Ord. No. 322, § 4; Code 1962, § 21-7)

The secretary of the city planning commission may receive compensation to be fixed by the council. The secretary may or may not be a member of the city planning commission.

(Ord. No. 322, § 3; Code 1962, § 21-8)

The city planning commission shall meet at least once a month. The city planning commission shall have a fixed place and date for its monthly meetings and shall notify the council and the city clerk regarding such date and place of meeting or any changes that may be necessary. The date and place of the meeting shall be fixed at least five (5) days prior to the holding of such a meeting.

(Ord. No. 322, § 4; Code 1962, § 21-9)

The city planning commission may hold special meetings at the request of the mayor, council, the chairman of the commission, two (2) members of the commission or on a petition of a body of citizens, addressed to the secretary of the city planning commission, and containing the names and addresses of not less than fifty (50) such citizens. The date and place of such meeting shall be announced in the public press of the city not less than twenty-four (24) hours in advance of such meeting.

(Ord. No. 322, § 1, Code 1962, § 21-10)

The city planning commission shall make its own rules and regulations; provided that, such rules and regulations shall not be in conflict with the provisions of this article or with any of the state statutes.

(Ord. No. 322, § 4; Code 1962, § 21-11)

Members of the city planning commission may be authorized by the council to travel at the expense of the city for the purpose of observing the city planning work of other communities or for the purpose of attending meetings and conferences devoted to the subject of city planning and its allied subjects.

(Ord. No. 322, § 8; Code 1962, § 21-12)

The council may in its discretion impose the two (2) mill tax provided by law for the use of the city planning commission and its work or it may set aside an appropriation out of the general fund for this purpose.

(Ord. No. 322, § 5(7); Code 1962, § 21-13)

The disbursements of funds set aside for the city planning commission, whether through taxation or from the general fund, shall be made subject to the approval of the city planning commission.

(Ord. No. 322, § 5(7); Code 1962, § 21-14)