(A) The Cultural Arts Committee is created and established to generally promote and advocate the cultural arts within the city and ensure that the general artistic and cultural arts needs of city residents are best served.
(B) The City Commission shall request that residents who meet the qualification requirements or who have an interest in serving on the Cultural Arts Committee to apply for appointment. The City Clerk shall provide notice of the request for applications for appointment to the respective Committee through notices posted at City Hall, on the city's web site, or in local newspapers of general circulation. The application shall be kept on file in the City Clerk's office.
(C) Once all applications are submitted, the City Clerk shall provide copies of all of the applications for each prospective member to the Mayor and Commissioners for their review. The Mayor shall appoint one applicant to serve as a voting member and each Commissioner shall appoint one applicant who is a resident of their district to serve on the Committee. If no applications are received from a particular district, the Commissioner representing that district shall use reasonable efforts to locate a resident within that district that is willing to serve. Such efforts may include requesting the City Clerk to re-advertise the open position on the Committee. If no residents within a particular district are willing or able to serve on the Committee, the Commissioner representing that district may consider applicants from outside of the district to fill the position on the Committee.
(D) The Mayor and each City Commissioner shall provide the names of their appointees to the Committee to the City Clerk for placement on the City Commission agenda. The Mayor and each City Commissioner shall announce their appointees to the respective Committee at a public meeting of the City Commission. The City Commission shall also appoint a member to serve at large. No further action shall be required by the City Commission to approve the Mayor or City Commissioners' appointees or the at large appointment. Committee members shall be subject to removal for cause by the City Commission during a public hearing.
(E) Regular voting members of the Committee shall be appointed for a term which shall run concurrently with the term of the member of the City Commission who appointed them. The member serving at large shall serve a term of three years. Each newly elected or re-elected official shall appoint a member to succeed the prior appointee or may reappoint the current appointee. Notwithstanding any other provisions contained in this Code, any Committee member who is absent from two consecutive regular meetings of the Committee or who is absent from three meetings within any six-month period, and who has not been excused therefrom by a majority vote of the members of the Committee, shall automatically forfeit such position or office as a member of the Committee. The clerk or secretary of the Committee shall promptly notify the removed member and the appointing Commission of such removal. Any member removed may, within 15 days of receipt of the notice, request a hearing before the City Commission to show cause why the member should not be removed. If the City Commission finds that there is good cause to justify the absence of the member, the member shall be reinstated. If any such member shall fail to request a hearing or if the City Commission does not find good cause to justify the member's absence, a new member shall be appointed in accordance with the City Code.
(F) The City Commission shall appoint two alternate members of the Committee, who are residents of the city, to be designated as Alternate 1 and Alternate 2. Each alternate shall be appointed for a term of three years. Alternate members shall be subject to removal for cause by the City Commission. Alternate member vacancies shall be filled for the unexpired term of the member. Should a temporary absence or disqualification of any member of the Committee occur, the Committee Chair shall have the right and authority to designate one of the alternate members to serve as a substitute member during the continuance of such absence or disqualification. The Chair shall rotate such assignments between the alternate members to the extent that availability of alternate members allows.
(G) Membership. Membership of the Committee shall be composed of city residents and shall consist of seven members serving without pay. Any vacancies in the Committee shall be filled by the appointing Commissioner or the City Commission where applicable, and where a vacancy occurs other than by expiration of the term, the appointment filling the vacancy shall be for the unexpired term.
(H) Organization and meetings. The Committee shall meet at least bimonthly at such times and places as the Committee shall determine are appropriate.
(I) Powers and duties.
(1) Immediately after their appointment, the Committee shall meet and organize by electing from the membership a Chair and Vice Chair. The Committee shall adopt rules and regulations for the conduct of its meetings, including the methods of calling a meeting. The Committee shall, with the assistance of the Cultural Affairs Department staff, keep minutes of its meetings and shall send copies of the minutes to the City Commission and the City Manager. The Committee shall make reports from time to time as may be requested by the City Commission.
(2) The Department may initiate for Committee consideration and review the forms of cultural activities at cultural centers and other cultural facilities owned or controlled by the city and may make its recommendations to the City Commission with respect to their operation and improvement, as well as recommend improvements to the existing forms of cultural activity or the implementation of new forms of cultural activities which will employ the leisure time of the residents of the city in a constructive and wholesome manner.
(3) The Committee shall also be responsible for the following:
(a) Stimulating greater governmental and public awareness and appreciation of the importance of cultural development within the city;
(b) Recommending opportunities for city residents to participate in cultural activities;
(c) Recommending avenues to support, promote and increase awareness of arts education programs offered through the city;
(d) Recommending avenues to support, promote, and increase awareness of creative industries through cultural arts activities;
(e) Undertake such other duties, projects and responsibilities regarding arts and cultural programing as may be assigned by the City Commission; and
(f) Recommend grant and other funding for arts and cultural programing.
(4) It shall be the duty of the Committee to make policy recommendations for legislation to the City Commission in relation to cultural arts; to promote and facilitate artistic and cultural programs and facilities; and to promote an aesthetic and cultural environment in the city.
(5) No member of the Committee shall have any interest, financial or otherwise, direct or indirect; engage in any business transaction or professional activity; or incur any obligation of any nature which is in substantial conflict with the proper discharge of their duties. Each Committee member, at a minimum, shall comply with the ethical obligation expressed in F.S. Chapter 112, Part III. Violation of the statutory code of ethics or Committee rules constitutes grounds for removal of a Committee member by the City Commission, following notice and opportunity to be heard during a public hearing before the City Commission.
(6) The Cultural Arts Committee is empowered and encouraged to establish subcommittees of its membership as may be deemed advisable to assist the Committee in carrying out its assigned functions. Members of such subcommittees shall serve at the pleasure of the Committee and any subcommittee so established may be abolished at any time upon a determination by the Committee that such subcommittee no longer serves any useful function. The Committee shall appoint by majority vote a chair of each subcommittee created. Members of the Committee may also be members of any subcommittee. The City Clerk shall maintain an active file containing the names and addresses and other pertinent information as to persons who have expressed an interest in serving on such subcommittees.
(Ord. 2022-25, passed 2-8-22)