(A) Membership.
(1) The County Advisory Plan Commission is established in accordance with I.C. 36-7-4-200 et seq. The term “Commission” refers to the County Advisory Plan Commission.
(2) The County Advisory Plan Commission shall consist of nine members, as follows:
(a) One member appointed by the County Board of Commissioners Executive from its membership;
(b) One member appointed by the County Council from its membership;
(c) The County Surveyor or a qualified deputy appointed by the Surveyor;
(d) The County Agricultural Agent; and
(e) Five citizen members, of whom no more than three may be of the same political party, appointed by the County Executive.
(3) Each citizen member shall be appointed because of the member’s knowledge and experience in community affairs; the member’s awareness of the social, economic, agricultural and industrial problems of the area; and the member’s interest in the development and integration of the area. A citizen member may not hold other elective or appointive office in the municipal, county or state government, and must be a resident of the jurisdictional area of the Plan Commission.
(B) Term.
(1) The County Plan Commission was originally established by ordinance on February 8, 1965 and the ordinance provided that citizen members be appointed for the following terms of office:
(1) One for a term of one year;
(2) One for a term of two years;
(3) One for a term of three years; and
(4) Two for a term of four years.
(2) After the initial term of office of a citizen member expires, each new appointment of a citizen member shall be for a four-year term. If a vacancy occurs among the members of the Commission, the appointing authority shall appoint a member for the unexpired term of the vacating member.
(C) Conflict of interest.
(1) No member of the Commission shall participate in a hearing or decision of the Commission concerning a matter in which he or she has a direct or indirect financial interest or which for any other reason brought to the attention of the Commission, results in disqualification.
(2) The Commission shall enter in its records the fact that a regular member has such a disqualification and the name of the alternate member, if any, who participates in the hearing or decision.
(3) Any participating alternative member shall be appointed by the same body which appointed the regular member who has been disqualified.
(D) Organization.
(1) At the first meeting of each year, the Commission shall elect from its members a President and a Vice President.
(2) The Commission may appoint and fix the duties and compensation of a Secretary and those employees necessary for discharge of its duties, all in conformity to and compliance with salaries and compensations fixed by the County Commissioners and state law.
(E) Rules of procedure.
(1) The Commission shall supervise and make rules for the administration of the affairs of the Commission, and prescribe uniform rules pertaining to investigations and hearings.
(2) All meetings of the Commission shall be open to the public.
(3) The Commission shall keep minutes of its proceedings, keep records of its examinations and other official actions, prepare written findings of fact and record the vote, disqualification, abstention or failure to vote of each member upon each question.
(4) All minutes and records shall be filed in the office of the Commission and shall be a public record.
(F) Powers and duties.
(1) The Commission shall make recommendations to the County Commissioners concerning the adoption of the Comprehensive Plan, zoning regulations and amendments; and other matters, within the jurisdiction of the Commission and authorized by the Indiana Advisory Planning Law, being 36-7-4-101.
(2) The Commission shall also render decisions concerning subdivisions and PUDs, and approve plats or replats of subdivisions, and planned residential, commercial and industrial developments.
(Ord. passed 7-20-1992)