Redlands Municipal Code Ch. 2.64 Citrus Preservation Commission

There is a citrus preservation commission established which shall make recommendations and advise the city council regarding the acquisition, improvement, preservation and retention of citrus properties within the city. (Ord. 2775, 2012)

The citrus preservation commission shall consist of five (5) members appointed by the mayor with the approval of the city council. Each member shall serve a staggered four (4) year term and shall serve until his or her successor is appointed. Vacancies on the commission shall be filled by appointment by the mayor with the approval of the city council of the unexpired portion of the term. The members of the commission shall serve without compensation, and shall be neither a member of any other standing commission, board or committee of the city nor an employee thereof. The city council may remove any member of the commission at any time, without cause, by a majority vote of the members of the city council. Three (3) members of the commission shall constitute a quorum. (Ord. 2995 § 12, 2025:Ord. 2775, 2012)

Any commissioner who is absent from any three (3) consecutive regular meetings of the commission, unless excused from such attendance by consent of the commission expressed by action of record in its minutes, shall automatically forfeit his or her office as a member of the commission. (Ord. 2775, 2012)

The commissioners shall, upon their appointment, organize and elect a chairman for the term of one year, and such other officers as the commissioners may deem advisable, and shall make such rules and regulations, and establish such subcommittees as are reasonable or necessary to fulfill the obligations and duties of the commission.

The commission shall meet quarterly in the months established by separate resolution of the City Council, which may be amended from time to time. There shall be a member of city staff, appointed by the city manager, who shall serve as an ex officio member of the commission, attend all meetings of the commission and shall act as a staff liaison for the city manager and the city council. (Ord. 2995 § 13, 2025:Ord. 2775, 2012)

The citrus preservation commission shall recommend to the city manager and the city council policies for the acquisition, improvement, preservation and retention of citrus properties within the city. The commission shall have regular meeting dates in compliance with the provisions of the Ralph M. Brown act and shall keep records of all of its acts and proceedings. In addition to the foregoing, the commission shall have the following specific powers and duties:

A. The commission shall supply farming expertise and management to the commercial farming companies retained by the city to farm the city's citrus groves. The commission shall periodically update the city council on the performance of the farming companies and shall make recommendation to the city council regarding the performance of such companies.

B. The commission shall have the authority and responsibility to advise city staff on the oversight and coordination of the marketing of crops produced from the city's citrus groves, for the benefit of the city; provided, however, that the commission shall have no authority to expend any funds, incur any expenses or enter into any contractual obligations on behalf of the city.

C. The commission shall have the authority and responsibility to advise city staff regarding the day to day operations associated with the management of the city's groves; provided, however, that the commission shall have no authority to expend any funds, incur any expenses or enter into any contractual obligations on behalf of the city.

D. City staff shall supply the commission with monthly invoices, packing house statements, financial reports and other data reasonably necessary for the commission to carry out its responsibilities. It is the goal of the city to sustain its citrus heritage by operating its citrus groves and marketing its crops in a manner consistent with best practices of commercial citrus growers in the area. The commission shall review, monthly, the farming and financial operations associated with the city's citrus groves and provide recommendations to the city staff and city council to achieve the goal of well operated and managed commercial groves from both financial and farming practices perspectives.

E. The commission with assistance from staff shall provide the city council with an annual report on the operational and financial aspects of the citrus groves, including unaudited financial data with comparisons to previous year and to budget along with explanations for significant variances. The report shall include a management forecast for coming months to the extent practical. The reports shall be provided to the city council no later than the council's second meeting in January. (Ord. 2775, 2012)