(A) Creation. There is hereby created a Planning Commission for the city, to be known as the “City Planning Commission”. The Commission is created in accordance with the provisions of Public Act 33 of 2008, being M.C.L.A. §§ 125.3801 through 125.3885, as amended, and shall have all the duties and powers, and shall perform all the functions provided by the Act as amended.
(Prior Code, § 14.001)
(B) Members; appointment, compensation, term of office.
(1) The City Planning Commission shall consist of five members who shall represent insofar as possible different professions or occupations, the members shall be appointed by the Mayor of the city, the appointment to be subject to approval by a majority vote of the members elect of the City Council.
(2) All members of the City Planning Commission shall serve as such without compensation and shall hold no other municipal office.
(3) The term of each member of the City Planning Commission shall be three years, except that in the case of the first City Planning Commission appointed hereunder three of the members shall be appointed for a term of one year, three for a term of two years and three for a term of three years.
(4) All the appointments shall date from July 1, 1959. All members shall hold office until their successors are appointed.
(5) Vacancies occurring otherwise than through the expiration of the term shall be filled by the Mayor subject to approval of a majority of the City Council elect.
(6) The City Manager shall be a member ex-officio of the City Planning Commission and shall attend all of its meetings and may participate in all its discussions, but he or she shall not have any power to vote.
(Prior Code, § 14.002)
(C) Members; removal from office. Members of the City Planning Commission may, after a public hearing before the City Council, be removed by the Mayor for inefficiency, neglect of duty or malfeasance in office, provided, however, that the removal shall be subject to the approval of the City Council.
(Prior Code, § 14.003)
(D) Officers; records; meetings. The City Planning Commission shall, from its appointed members, annually elect a Chairperson, and shall fill other offices as it may determine. The City Clerk/Treasurer shall act as Secretary and Clerk of the City Planning Commission and shall keep a record of all its proceedings. The Commission shall hold at least one regular meeting in each month and may adopt rules for the transaction of its business, and shall keep a full and complete record of its resolutions, surveys, transactions, findings and determinations, which record shall be a public record and open to inspection in the office of the City Clerk/Treasurer at any reasonable time during business hours. Special meetings may be called by the Chairperson or any two members of the Commission on at least six hours’ written notice to each member of the Commission served personally or left at his or her regular place of residence. A majority of the members shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.
(Prior Code, § 14.004)
(E) Funds; contracts. The City Planning Commission shall file with the City Clerk/Treasurer on or before the third Monday in April a request for funds for city planning for the ensuing year and the Clerk shall present the request to the City Council on or before the first Monday in May. The City Council shall not be obligated to appropriate any fixed amount of money for the Commission. The City Planning Commission may contract with city planners, engineers, architects and other consultants as it may require. The Commission shall not expend any funds or enter into any contracts or agreements for the expenditure of funds in excess of amounts appropriated for the purpose by the City Council.
(Prior Code, § 14.005)
(F) Powers and duties. The City Planning Commission shall have powers concerning the preparation and adoption of a master plan or any part thereof, the mailing of surveys as a basis for the plan, the approval of public improvements, the carrying out of educational and publicity programs, the approval of plats and street system, the adoption of regulations governing subdivision of lands, and other rights, powers, duties and responsibilities as are provided under the provisions of Public Act 33 of 2008, being M.C.L.A. §§ 125.3801 through 125.3885.
(Prior Code, § 14.006)
(G) Gifts. The City Planning Commission may receive gifts for purposes of carrying out its objectives and may expend any funds received as a gift in any manner it may determine.
(Prior Code, § 14.007)
(H) Reports and recommendations to city council. The City Planning Commission shall make reports and recommendations to the City Council and the City Council shall vote to accept or reject the recommendations. Not less than a two-thirds vote of the members elect of the City Council shall be necessary to reject.
(Prior Code, § 14.008)
(Ord. 81, passed 10-12-1959: Ord. 182, §§ 1, 2, passed 2-13-2012: Ord. 201, passed 3-11-2016)