(A) There is hereby established a Board of Zoning Appeals, which shall perform its duties and exercise its powers as provided in Public Act 207 of 1921, as amended, being M.C.L.A. §§ 125.581 - 125.590, in such a way that the objectives of this ordinance shall be observed, public safety secured, and substantial justice done. The Board of Zoning Appeals shall consist of not less than 5 members appointed by the City Council. Appointments for the first year respectively, so as nearly as may be possible to provide.
(B) Thereafter each member shall be appointed and hold office for the full 3-year term. The first member shall be the chairperson of the Planning Commission, the second member shall be a member of the City Council appointed by the City Council, and the remaining members shall be appointed by the City Council.
(C) The City Council may appoint not more than 2 alternate members to the Board of Zoning Appeals for 3-year terms. The alternate members so appointed shall be called on a rotating basis to sit as regular members of the Board in the absence of a regular member. An alternate member may also be called to serve in the place of a regular member for the purpose of reaching a decision on a case in which the regular member has abstained for reason of conflict of interest. The alternate member shall serve in any case before the Board through its conclusion and until a final decision or resolution has been made on that case. The alternate member shall have the same voting rights as a regular member of the Board of Zoning Appeals.