A. There is hereby established the Elyria Landmarks Preservation Commission, to consist of seven members who shall be qualified electors of the City, none of whom shall hold any elected public office or be employed by the local, State or Federal government.
B. The Commission members shall be appointed by the Mayor. Members shall serve for terms of three years, except that one original appointee shall serve for one year and two original appointees shall serve for two years.
C. In addition to these seven members, the following shall serve as ex-officio members of the Landmarks Preservation Commission: the Community Development Director, the Chief Building Official, a member of the Planning Commission (chosen by the Planning Commission) and others as determined by the Landmarks Preservation Commission.
D. The Mayor shall fill any vacancy by appointment for the remainder of the unexpired term. Such vacancy shall be filled within sixty days after the vacancy occurs.
E. All members appointed to the Commission shall have a demonstrated special interest, experience or knowledge in history, architecture or related disciplines. At least two of the members shall be a preservation related professional, such as an architect, archaeologist, landscape architect, historian or planner or in a related field.
F. Upon appointment, the Commission shall convene and select a Chairperson and a Vice-Chairperson. The Commission shall appoint a Commission Secretary who may be an employee of the City. The Commission shall adopt operating procedures and/or by-laws which shall include, in part, the procedure for designation of listed properties and Landmark Preservation Districts. Such designation procedure shall be modeled after guidelines developed by the U.S. Department of the Interior relating to historic preservation.
G. The Commission shall establish its own schedule of meeting times and places, and shall meet at least four times a year.
H. All commission meetings shall comply with Federal and State laws relating to public meetings and meeting notices.
I. Commission members shall be subject to the provisions of the Ohio Revised Code, City Charter and these Codified Ordinances regarding conflict of interest and ethics.
J. The Commission shall prepare or adopt a written report at least once a year, for submission to the Mayor and Council, which summarizes Commission activities, cases, special projects and recommendations.
K. All Commission documents and materials shall be public records as defined by the Ohio Revised Code.
(Ord. 2017-26. Passed 3-6-17.)