(a) The City Council shall appoint a Board of Zoning Appeals consisting of seven (7) members. Two (2) members shall be appointed for a three (3) year term, two (2) members shall be appointed for a two (2) year term, three (3) members shall be appointed for a one (1) year term, each being a resident at-large of the City of Howell for a period of no less than one (1) year prior. After the initial appointment, each member shall hold office for a period of three (3) years or until a successor is appointed. Members may be removed at the pleasure of the City Council. Any vacancy in the Board shall be filled by the City Council for the remainder of the unexpired term. The Board shall annually elect its own Chair, Vice-Chair and Secretary. Compensation of the members of the Board may be fixed by the Council.
(b) In addition to the appointment of the seven (7) regular members of the Board by Council, up to two (2) alternate members may also be appointed for the same term as regular members of the Board of Zoning Appeals. The alternate members may be called on a rotating basis to sit as regular members of the Board of Zoning Appeals 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 reasons of conflict of interest. The alternate member having been appointed shall serve on the case until a final decision has been made. The alternate member shall have the same voting rights as a regular member of the Board of Zoning Appeals.