(A) Membership, appointment and term of office. There shall be a Planning and Zoning Commission composed of seven members, who shall be residents and real property taxpayers in the City of Mansfield. The members of the Commission shall be appointed by the City Council for two year terms or until their successors are appointed. Three members of the Planning and Zoning Commission shall be so appointed each odd-numbered year and four members shall be appointed each even-numbered year. Vacancies shall be filled for the unexpired term of any member whose position becomes vacant for any cause in the same manner as the original appointment was made. The City Council may remove a Commissioner for cause set forth in writing. Members of the Commission shall serve without compensation.
(B) Proceedings. The Planning and Zoning Commission shall have the power to adopt its own rules, regulations or bylaws to govern its proceedings; provided that such rules shall not be inconsistent with the ordinances of the city or the laws of the State of Texas. All meetings of the Planning and Zoning Commission shall be open to the public. A majority of the members of the Planning and Zoning Commission entitled to vote shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.
(C) Powers and duties. The Planning and Zoning Commission shall have the following powers and duties:
(1) To make studies and project plans for the improvement of the city, with a view toward its future development and extension, and to recommend to the City Council all matters for the development and advancement of the city's facilities, layout and appearance, and to perform all duties imposed upon the city Planning and Zoning Commission by the Statutes of the State.
(2) To make plans and maps of the whole or any portion of the city and of land outside the city located within one mile of the city which, in the opinion of the Planning and Zoning Commission, bears a relation to the planning of the city, and to make changes in, additions to and extensions of such plans or maps when it deems same advisable.
(3) To assist all other municipal and governmental agencies, and especially the City Council, in formulating and executing proper plans of municipal development.
(4) To plan and recommend the location, plan, and extent of city alleyways, viaducts, bridges, subways, parkways, parks, playgrounds, airports, automobile parking places and other public properties, and public utilities, including bus terminals, railroads, railroad depots, and terminals, whether publicly or privately owned, for water, lights, sanitation, sewerage disposal, drainage, flood control, communication, marketing, and shipping facilities, power and other purposes, and for the removal, relocation, widening, extension, narrowing, vacation, abandonment or change of use of any of the foregoing public places, works, buildings, facilities, or utilities.
(5) To select and recommend to the City Council routes of streets, avenues and boulevards, and particularly to investigate and recommend the opening, widening, or abandonment of streets, avenues, boulevards, and alleys or the changing thereof to conform with the city's system, present and future, of boulevards, streets, avenues, alleyways, parks and parkways.
(6) To investigate, consider and report to the City Council upon the layout or platting of new subdivisions of the city or of property situated within one mile of the city limits, and to approve all plans, plats, or replats of additions within the city limits, or within one mile of the city limits.
(7) To recommend to the City Council for adoption and promulgation rules, regulations, terms and conditions governing plats and subdivision of land within the corporate limits of the city to promote the health, safety, morals and general welfare of the community, and the safe, orderly and healthful development of such community.
(8) To recommend plans to the City Council for improving, developing, expanding, bayous and streams, river front and yacht basins in or adjoining the city, and to cooperate with the City Council and other agencies of the city in devising, establishing, locating, improving, selecting, expanding and maintaining the public parks, parkways, playgrounds and places for public recreation.
(9) To aid and assist the City Council by recommending plans for the development of civic centers.
(10) To recommend the boundaries of the various districts or zones, to recommend appropriate regulations to be enforced therein, to make their preliminary report as to such zoning districts and regulations and to hold a public hearing or public hearings on the same before submitting a final report, and to submit a final report to the City Council and to perform all other duties and exercise all other powers conferred upon it by the statutes of the State of Texas.
(11) To suggest plans for clearing the city of slums and blighted areas.
(D) Cooperation by other department heads and officials. All department heads and officials of the city shall be available to the Planning and Zoning Commission for advice and consultation, and they shall cooperate with and render such services for the Department of Planning as shall come within the scope of the duties of such department heads and officials. All such department heads and officials shall attend meetings of the Planning and Zoning Commission upon the request of the Planning and Zoning Commission or its duly authorized official or officials and upon prior approval of the City Manager.
(Ord. 671, passed 4-15-86)