(A) There is hereby established the city’s Historic District Commission. The Commission shall consist of no less than five or more than 12 members who are property owners of the city who have demonstrated knowledge of or interest in the preservation of historical and architectural landmarks. When the Commission reviews an issue that is normally evaluated by the member of a recognized or licensed professional and that field is not represented on the Commission, the Commission shall seek expert advice, before rendering its decision. Members of the Commission shall serve without compensation, but they shall be reimbursed for expenses incurred in the performance of their duties in accordance with the rules adopted by the Commission. All funds received by the Commission either in the form of grants or donations, will be received and disbursed by the City Clerk.
(B) The members shall be selected, if possible, from the following organizations or professions, and shall be appointed by the Mayor and approved by City Council members:
(1) Licensed real estate agent;
(2) Architect;
(3) Member from the Chamber of Commerce;
(4) Member from the Oldham County Historical Society;
(5) Members representing the areas designated in the National Register of Historic Places;
(6) Member representing the downtown business district of the city;
(7) A City Council member; and
(8) An attorney with interest and/or experience in preservation law.
(C) Appointments to the Commission shall, whenever possible, be consistent with the above guidelines as to individual membership. Whenever possible, appointments should be made primarily from the above listed organizations, but when nominees are not available from such organizations, then the Mayor and City Council have the right to nominate other interested individuals.
(D) The initial terms of office of the members shall be three years, except the terms of two members of the original Commission shall expire after two years and the terms of two members of the original Commission shall expire after one year. Each member shall serve until the appointment and qualification of his or her successor. When a vacancy occurs during a term of office, the Mayor and City Council shall fill it within 60 days, and the person selected shall be appointed for the unexpired portion of the term.
(E) The Commission shall keep accurate attendance figures and report annually in the attendance of members. In the event that any member of the Commission is absent from more than one-third of the regularly scheduled meetings, the Commission reserves the right to reconsider such Commission member’s appointment and recommend to the Mayor and City Council to replace such Commission member for the reason of excessive absenteeism. Such replacement shall be consistent with the general appointive guidelines of this section.
(F) No member of the Commission shall vote on any matter that may affect the property, income or business interests of that member.
(G) Members of the Commission may be reappointed for consecutive terms. After the initial appointments, all appointments shall be made for a term of two years.
(H) The Commission shall each year elect members to serve as Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, Secretary and Treasurer. The Secretary of the Commission shall be elected by the Commission, but need not be a member of the Commission. The Secretary will keep full minutes of all meetings and, upon approval by the Commission, will file said minutes with the City Clerk who will file and maintain them in a manner similar to that provided for minutes of meetings and any of the Commission’s other records. The Chairperson shall preside at the meetings of the Commission and shall be the spokesperson for the Commission. In his or her absence, the Vice-Chairperson shall perform these duties. The Secretary shall prepare the minutes of the Commission’s meetings which shall be available for public inspection.
(I) The Commission shall submit an annual report of its activities to the Mayor and City Council.
(J) A majority of the members of the Commission will constitute a quorum, empowered to conduct the Commission’s business.
(K) The Commission will adopt a set of bylaws for the transaction of its business. The regular Historic District Commission meeting shall be conducted on the second Tuesday night of each month, unless a holiday shall fall on a regular meeting night, at which time the meeting shall be held on the next regular weekday which is not a holiday. The meeting shall begin at 7:00 p.m. at the James Beaumont Community Center, second floor.
(L) All meetings of the Commission will be open to the public and a public record will be kept of the Commission’s resolutions, proceedings and actions.
(Ord. 7-89, passed 7-3-1989; Ord. 11-2005, passed 7-5-2005; Ord. 14-2013, passed 8-5-2013; Ord. 6-2014, passed 6-2-2014)