(a) Establishment. An Historic Site Board is hereby established in the County of San Diego.
(b) Membership. The Historic Site Board shall consist of seven members, appointed by the Board of Supervisors. At least five members shall be nominated from among professionals in any of the following disciplines, as required to meet the Certified Local Government criteria of the State Office of Historic Preservation: history, architecture, architectural history, prehistoric and historic archaeology, cultural anthropology, curation, conservation, landscape architecture, or related disciplines. The remaining membership may contain any of the above disciplines or any other persons that qualify pursuant to paragraph (c) below. At least one member shall be of local Native American descent. No person who holds an existing office or employment with the County shall be eligible for appointment to the Historic Site Board.
(c) Nomination Procedure. Each member of the Board of Supervisors may nominate one of the five professional members for appointment to the Historic Site Board. The other two lay members shall be chosen from a list of at least five interested individuals compiled by the Director of Planning & Development Services. To assist members of the Board in making nominations, the Department of Planning & Development Services shall verify the qualifications of the nominees and give such public notice as the Director deems appropriate of the possible nominations. Nominees for appointment shall be persons who have demonstrated interest and experience in areas of identification, designation, preservation, protection and retention of historic sites. The Department of Planning & Development Services shall provide application forms, accept applications and maintain files of persons who have demonstrated the required interest in historic site protection.
(d) Term. Each of the five members representing professions designated in paragraph (d) shall serve a term that shall run concurrently with the term of the member of the Board of Supervisors who nominated that member. The term shall expire on the date of expiration of the term of the nominating member of the Board of Supervisors, or at such time as said Supervisor ceases to hold office, whichever first occurs. The remaining two members shall serve a term of four years. Any member whose term has expired hereunder shall continue to discharge the duties as a member until a successor has been appointed and qualified. The reelection of a member of the Board of Supervisors for a succeeding term shall not automatically extend the term of any member of the Historic Site Board.
(e) Removal. Any member of the Historic Site Board may be removed by an affirmative vote of a majority of the members of the Board of Supervisors.
(f) Officers. The Historic Site Board shall annually elect a Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson and Secretary from among its members.
(g) Rules. The Historic Site Board shall prepare and adopt the necessary rules and regulations for the conduct of its business.
(h) Quorum. Four voting members appointed to the Historic Site Board shall constitute a quorum. A majority of members in attendance at the meeting shall be required to carry any motion or approval.
(i) Minutes. The Historic Site Board shall keep written minutes of its meetings, a copy of which shall be filed with the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors. The Secretary of the Historic Site Board shall be responsible for writing and distributing meeting minutes.
(j) Meetings. The Historic Site Board shall establish a regular meeting schedule and shall give public notice of the time and place of meetings. All meetings of the Historic Site Board, including any committees appointed by said Board, shall be open and public and all persons shall be permitted to attend any such meetings.
(k) Training. Members of the Historic Site Board shall attend at least one informational or educational meeting, seminar or conference per year that pertains to the work or functions of the Historic Site Board.
(l) Compensation. Members of the Historic Site Board shall serve without compensation and shall not be reimbursed for expenses incurred in performing their duties under this Section.
(m) Duties and Responsibilities. The Historic Site Board shall have the following duties and responsibilities:
(1) Inspect any site, building, structure or district which it has reason to believe is, or will be, a historical site. For purposes of this Section, historic sites include historically significant sites and districts, as well as archaeologically significant sites. The Board shall coordinate its activities with the State Historic Resources Commission and the State Historic Preservation Officer.
(2) Evaluate and nominate to Federal and State agencies with jurisdiction to designate historic sites, those sites or districts which the Board deems eligible based upon applicable Federal and/or State standards. Evaluations may be requested by owners of potentially eligible sites, but nominations to Federal and/or State lists may not be made over the landowner's objections.
(3) Provide comments to the State Historic Resources Commission and the State Historic Preservation Officer on nominations to Federal and/or State registration programs of County sites, buildings, structures or districts made by other agencies or individuals.
(4) Develop and maintain a system for the survey and inventory of historic and prehistoric resources, including a current list and/or database of all sites, buildings, structures and districts the Board has determined to be historical sites. A description of the site and its reason for inclusion shall be contained therein.
(5) Meet at least four times per year, provide for public participation in accordance with the Certified Local Government Procedures, Part III (36 CFR 61.6 (e) (4)) and annually prepare and submit to the State Historic Preservation Officer a report of Board activities.
(6) Make recommendations as needed to the Department of Planning & Development Services, the Planning Commission and/or the Board of Supervisors regarding historic resource issues and preservation implementation incentives relative to existing or proposed County plans and policies.
(7) Participate in the preparation of the Certified Local Government annual report on historic resource preservation activities.
(8) Develop a Historic Resource Preservation Plan for the County.
(9) Appoint committees for the purpose of assisting the Board in carrying out its functions and duties. Any committee appointed shall consist of not fewer than three persons, including at least one Historic Site Board member. The actions and recommendations of committees shall not be deemed the action of the Historic Site Board or its members.
(10) The Historic Site Board may engage the services of volunteer workers and consultants without salary as it may find necessary, for the purposes such as but not limited to conducting historic resource surveys and inventories. Service of an individual as a volunteer worker or as a consultant shall not be considered as service for or employment by the County.
(11) Provide liaison with other non-profit historical and archaeological societies and boards with San Diego County.
(12) Identify historical sites that are eligible for tax benefits under California Revenue and Taxation Code Section 439 (the Mills Act), or other similar programs.
(n) Staff Assistance. The Chief Administrative Officer shall provide necessary staff assistance to the Historic Site Board only to the extent necessary to maintain a functioning board.
(Added by Ord. No. 7105 (N.S.), effective 4-18-86; amended by Ord. No. 7702 (N.S.), effective 1-19-90; amended by Ord. No. 8131 (N.S.), effective 9-4-92; repealed by Ord. No. 8331 (N.S.), effective 1-6-94; added by Ord. No. 9139 (N.S.), effective 4-28-00; amended by Ord. No. 10223 (N.S.), effective 10-25-12; amended by Ord. No. 10370 (N.S.), effective 2-6-15)