(A) Establishment; qualifications. An Appearance Committee is hereby established consisting of 5 members who shall be residents of the municipality's area of planning and zoning jurisdiction at the time of appointment and 1 ex officio member who shall be a member of the Town Council. The ex officio member shall not be a voting member. The Town Council may invite individuals who have demonstrated special training or experience in a design field, such as architecture, landscape design, horticulture, city planning or a closely related field to join the Committee in their discussions and duties, it is not the intent of this section to create an appearance commission governed by GS § 160A-451, Part 7.
(B) Tenure. Members of the Appearance Committee shall be appointed to serve terms of 3 years, and until their respective successors have been appointed and qualified. The terms of the original members may be staggered so that all terms do not expire simultaneously. Vacancies shall be filled for the unexpired term only. Terms of office begin on July 1.
(C) Officers. The Appearance Committee shall elect one member to serve as Chairman and preside over its meetings, and shall create and fill other such offices and committees as it may deem necessary. The term of the Chairman and other offices shall be 1 year, with eligibility for reelection to a second term.
(D) Duties of the committee. The Committee, at the direction of the Town Council, is authorized and empowered to undertake such actions reasonably necessary to the discharge and conduct of its duties and responsibilities including, but not limited to:
(1) To initiate, promote, and assist the Town Council in the implementation of programs of general community beautification in the Kenly community;
(2) To review and make recommendations to the Town Council regarding the appropriateness of improvement to public facilities, including buildings, landscapes, anal signs;
(3) To provide leadership and guidance to the Town Council in matters of community design and appearance to individuals and public gnd private agencies and organizations, and to develop programs to recognize those individuals and organizations making improvements to community appearance;
(4) To serve as a participating member of federal, state, and local organizations whose programs bear on community appearance;
(5) To prepare for the Town Council both general and specific plans for the improved appearance of the entire community or any portion thereof, including private as well as public property. Such plans shall set forth desirable standards and goals for the aesthetic enhancement of the community or any portion thereof, including public ways and areas, open spaces, public and private buildings and projects;
(6) To formulate and recommend to the Planning Board and the Town Council the adoption or amendment of any ordinance that may affect the appearance of the community.
(E) Meetings. The Committee shall establish a regular meeting schedule, and shall meet at least quarterly and more often as it shall determine and require. All meetings of the Committee shall be open to the public, and reasonable notice of the time and place thereof shall be given to the public. The Committee shall keep a record of its meetings, including attendance of its members, its resolutions, findings, recommendations and actions.
(F) Attendance at meetings. Any member of the Appearance Committee who misses more than 3 consecutive meetings, or more than half the regular meetings in a calendar year, shall constitute grounds for the loss of status as a member of the Committee, and may be replaced by the Town Council as appropriate. Absence due to sickness, death, or other emergency of like nature shall be recognized as an excused absence, and shall not affect the member's status on the Committee, except that in the event of a long illness or other such cause for prolonged absence, the member shall be replaced.
(G) Quorum. A quorum of the Committee, necessary to take any official action shall consist of 3 members.
(H) Fiscal year. The fiscal year of the Committee shall begin July 1.
(I) Budget. The Committee will operate under such budget, if any, as might from time to time be established by the annual budget ordinance of the Town of Kenly, but an expenditure therefrom shall be made only upon approval of the Town Manager and in accordance with ordinance and statutory requirements.
(Ord. 16-08, passed 8-8-2016)