Oroville Municipal Code Art. X Commissions (CA)

Sec. 1. Planning Commission.

There shall be a board of Planning Commissioners consisting of the Mayor as an ex-officio member without vote except in the case of a tie; and seven citizens to be appointed by the City Council to serve for four years each, without compensation.

The City Planning Commission shall have and exercise all the powers and duties which are now or may hereafter be granted to or imposed upon said department by state law, and such additional powers and duties as may be granted or imposed by ordinance for the regulation and control of the platting and subdivision of lands.

No ordinance shall be adopted by the City Council creating districts or zones for the purpose of regulating the use of lands, the height, bulk, location or use of buildings therein, and no ordinance changing, amending or altering any such ordinance shall be adopted until it shall have first been submitted to the board of City Planning Commissioners for report and recommendation.

It shall be the duty of the Planning Commission within thirty days from the receipt of any such request from the City Council for its recommendation in regard to any such ordinance, to make and file its report thereon with the City Council, and should said board of City Planning Commissioners recommend against the approval of any such ordinance herein mentioned, the City Council may adopt such ordinance only upon majority vote of the whole of said City Council.

Should the board of City Planning Commissioners recommend the approval of any such ordinance or fail to make any recommendation within the time mentioned herein, said City Council may adopt such ordinance by a majority vote of the whole City Council.

All plans for the location of public parks or public playgrounds shall be submitted to the City Planning Commission for report and recommendation. Such report shall be advisory only. The department shall make reports and recommendations to the City Council and to the various departments of the City government on all matters involving the location of such public improvements.

The City Planning Commission shall initiate studies and make reports and recommendations to the City Council and the various departments of the City government on subjects related to the opening and widening of streets and other physical conditions, connected with the development and expansion of the City.

It shall each year render to the Mayor and City Council a report of its activities during the preceding year, and its proposals for the future. [1961, c. 181; amended by vote of the people, April 12, 1983; amended by vote of the people, November 6, 1990; amended by the vote of the people November 4, 2024; amended by vote of the people, November 5, 2024]

Sec. 2. Park Commission.

There shall be a Park Commission consisting of five members to be appointed by the City Council each to serve for a term of five years, without compensation.

The department of parks shall have the power and duty:

To manage and control the parks owned or operated by the City of Oroville.
To establish, maintain and operate parks, with structures therein appropriate to park purposes, within or without City limits.
To construct and operate, sell, rent, or lease concessions or privileges to be exercised in the parks for the operation of boathouses, refreshment stands, restaurants, amusement places or devices, parcel checking rooms and lockers and other similar purposes.
To establish schedules of charges for special services.
To grant to the department of playgrounds and recreation the right to establish, maintain and operate playground and recreation facilities on lands under the control of the department of parks upon such terms and conditions as shall be fixed by the board of park commissioners.
To have charge over and care of trees, plants, and lawns in parking along public streets, subject to street improvements authorized by the City.
To appoint a superintendent of parks who shall have general supervision of all parks and under direction of the park commission.

Appropriation may be made from the general City funds for park purposes. All money arising from appropriations above referred to or received by the department of parks from fees, sales, gifts or otherwise in connection with the operation of the department shall be placed to the credit of the department of parks in a fund to be known as the park fund.
No money in the park fund shall be used for any purpose other than the financial support of the Department of Parks.
The board of Park Commissioners shall have power to control and order, in the manner in this Charter provided, the expenditure of all money coming into the park fund, or from the sale of bonds authorized by the City for financing the work of the park department, and to appropriate and expend the same for the purposes of the department, in accordance with the provisions of this Charter.
Said board may invest any surplus funds under its control in bonds or other evidences of indebtedness of the United States, the State of California, or of any political subdivision thereof, and the income derived therefrom shall be deposited in the City treasury to the credit of the park fund.
No real property shall be acquired by the City for park sites unless such sites are first approved by the board of park commissioners.
Said board shall have full control over all park sites and no such sites shall be devoted to any other purpose in whole or in part without permission from said board.
Whenever funds are donated by any person or persons for the acquisition or construction of any building, structure, work or improvement in a public park, and the donor or donors thereof shall, at the time of such donation, request the appointment of a special commission to take charge of the expenditure of such funds and to supervise the construction of such improvement, the City Council may, in its discretion, if said proposed improvement will increase the value of such park for park purposes, provide by ordinance for the appointment by the Mayor, subject to the conformation by a majority of the City Council, of a special commission to take charge of the supervision of the construction of such improvement and the expenditure of funds donated therefor.
In the event funds are donated in the manner provided for in this section for the maintenance of any such improvement at the time of construction thereof or otherwise, the City Council may, by ordinance, create a commission to be appointed under the provisions of this section, which shall have such powers and duties as to such construction or maintenance as may be conferred upon it by such ordinance.
All lands belonging to the City which may hereafter be set apart or dedicated for the use of the public as a public park, shall forever remain to the use of the public inviolate.
(Amended by vote of the people, November 5, 2024)