a) There shall be a Parks and Recreation Board consisting of 5 members. One member shall be appointed by the Urbana City Board of Education. All other members will be appointed by the Mayor. All members of the Board shall serve for terms of 5 years, except that the initial appointees named shall serve terms of 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 years (the initial appointee named by the Urbana City Board of Education shall serve the 5-year term).
The Director of Administration shall consult with the Parks and Recreation Board on the appointment of the Superintendent of the Parks and Recreation Division. The Superintendent of the Parks and Recreation Division shall consult with the Parks and Recreation Board on all matters relating to program fees, preparation of the annual division budget, employment of personnel, administration of programs, planning and any other matters which the Superintendent of Parks and Recreation considers appropriate to serve the recreation needs of the community. The powers, duties, and functions of the Parks and Recreation Board shall be advisory only.
b) There shall be a Planning Commission of 7 members, to include the Mayor, Director of Administration and a member of the Parks and Recreation Board, as selected by the members of that Board. The other 4 members shall be appointed by the Mayor for 4-year terms, one member from each of the City's 4 wards. Initial terms of office of the 4 ward representatives shall be for 1, 2, 3 and 4 years with the ward representatives to be appointed for full 4-year terms thereafter. The powers, duties and functions of the Planning Commission shall be provided by this Charter and the ordinances and resolutions of the City; but until such ordinances or resolutions shall be passed, it shall possess powers, duties and functions as are provided by the laws of Ohio, to the extent that such laws do not conflict with the provisions of this Charter.
c) There shall be a Building and Zoning Appeals Board of 5 members to include the president of Council and 4 other members appointed by the Mayor for 4-year terms, one member from each of the City's 4 wards. Initial terms of office of the 4 ward representatives shall be for 1, 2, 3 and 4 years with the ward representatives to be appointed for full 4-year terms thereafter.
The Building and Zoning Appeals Board shall have those powers, duties and functions as provided in this Charter and as provided by the ordinances and resolutions of the City.
City Council may, by ordinance, require that the number of votes of the membership necessary to take action be greater than a majority.
d) There shall be a Board of Control consisting of the Mayor, Director of Administration and Director of Finance. The Board of Control shall award all contracts on behalf of the City, except as otherwise provided under this Charter. The Council shall by ordinance or resolution prescribe the regulations and procedures to be followed by the Board of Control in awarding contracts, including the conditions and circumstances, and exceptions thereto, when competitive bidding shall be required, as well as the procedures to be followed when competitive bidding is required. In the absence of Council action in prescribing the regulations and procedures, the Board shall formulate its own regulations and procedures by written rule until the Council shall adopt an ordinance or resolution prescribing the regulations and procedures to be followed by the Board. The Board may, in addition to the regulations and procedures adopt written rules concerning purchasing and the award of contracts to the extent such rules do not conflict with this Charter or ordinances or resolutions adopted by the Council. The Council shall authorize the issuance of all bonds, notes, or certificates of indebtedness to be issued by the City by ordinance or resolution. The Mayor and the Director of Finance shall sign such bonds, notes and certificates on behalf of the City, and the approval of the Board of Control shall not be required.
e) There shall be a Design Review Board consisting of seven members. One member shall be a member of the Planning Commission, as selected by the members of that Commission. The other six members shall be appointed by the Mayor for three-year terms. The initial appointees named shall serve terms of: two members for one-year terms, two members for two- year terms, and two members for three-year terms.
The purpose of the Design Review Board shall be to review applications for development, redevelopment or alterations in any Overlay District as established by the planning and zoning ordinances and resolutions for the City.
The Design Review Board shall have those powers, duties and functions as provided in this Charter and as provided by the ordinances and resolutions of the City.
f) There shall be a Board of Nuisance Appeals consisting of three members appointed by the Mayor for three-year terms. The initial appointees named shall serve terms of one, two and three years. The Board of Nuisance Appeals shall hear appeals from the decision of the Director of Administration that a public nuisance exists within the City. The Board shall have those powers, duties and functions as provided in this Charter, the ordinances and resolutions of the City, and the general laws of Ohio to the extent such laws do not conflict with this Charter or the ordinances and resolutions of the City.
g) All other boards and commissions in existence at the time this Charter goes into effect and not abolished or modified herein, shall continue as provided in the statutes or ordinances creating and governing such boards and commissions until modified or abolished in accordance with this Charter.
h) All members of boards and commissions who are not serving in ex officio capacity shall be electors of the City, shall serve without pay, shall not be employed by the City, and shall be subject to removal for cause as provided by ordinance or resolution adopted by the Council.
i) Unless otherwise provided in this Charter, each board and commission, whether established by this Charter or pursuant to Section 4.07 of this Charter, shall:
1) Organize at its first meeting each year by electing a chairman, vice chairman and secretary. The chairman and vice chairman shall be a member of the board or commission, and the secretary may be elected from within or without the membership of the board or commission. The secretary shall keep an accurate and complete record of the proceedings of the board or commission; and shall file a copy of its proceedings with the Clerk of Council for public inspection.
2) Take action by motion, and a majority vote of the members of the board or commission shall be necessary to take any action. A majority of the members shall constitute a quorum.
3) Adopt rules for the conduct and government of the board or commission; however, the rules may not conflict with the provisions of this Charter or ordinances and resolutions of the City.
j) Unless otherwise provided in this Charter, a vacancy during the term of any member of a board or commission created by this Charter or pursuant to Section 4.07 of this Charter shall be filled for the unexpired term in the manner authorized for an original appointment. Any board or commission with less than five regular voting members shall have at least one alternate member appointed by the Mayor to serve in the event any temporary absence or conflict of interest arises for any regular board or commission member. For any board or commission with five or more voting members, at least two alternates shall be appointed. The Mayor may relax qualifications for alternates in comparison to other board and commission members in the event of a documented need for an alternate who is otherwise suitable. In the event of a vacancy under Section (J), the alternate may request to remain an alternate, or to be a candidate for regular appointment if the alternate is qualified to serve.
k) A Salary Commission is hereby created which shall determine the salaries of the Mayor and the Council members. The Salary Commission shall consist of five members who are registered electors of the City appointed by the Mayor subject to the confirmation by Council by resolution. The five members shall consist of one person from each of the 4 wards in the City, as well as one at-large. Three of the members of the Salary Commission shall serve for two years and two for three years, to take office within 30 days after the effective date of this section. Thereafter, members of the Salary Commission shall be appointed to serve for three years and until their successors have been appointed and have qualified. No Council member or employee of the City or members of the immediate family of a Council member or employee shall be eligible to be a member of the Salary Commission.
The Salary Commission shall from time to time elect a Chairperson from its membership. Within 45 days of its creation, and every odd numbered year thereafter, the Salary Commission shall meet to consider the salaries and compensation of the Mayor and Council members.
Beyond the terms contained herein, the rules governing the Salary Commission shall be set by City Council.
(Amended 11-7-2000; 11-8-2016; 11-3-2020)