The City Planning and Zoning Commission, hereinafter referred to as the Commission, consists of seven members appointed by the Mayor with the approval of the Council. The Commission members shall be residents of the City and shall not hold any elective office in the City government.
(Code of Iowa, Sec. 392.1)
1. Term of Office. The term of office of the members of the Commission shall be five years, expiring on January 31 of the appropriate year. The terms of not more than one-third of the members will expire in any one year.
(Code of Iowa, Sec. 392.1)
2. Vacancies. If any vacancy exists on the Commission, a successor for the remainder of the term shall be appointed in the same manner as the original appointee. The position of any Commission member shall be vacant if the member resigns, moves permanently from the City, or if said member is absent without due explanation from six consecutive regular meetings of the Commission, except in the case of sickness, or is removed for cause by the Mayor with the approval of the Council.
(Code of Iowa, Sec. 392.1)
3. Quorum and Voting. A quorum shall consist of four members. All action by the Commission shall require a majority vote of the whole number of members.
4. Compensation. All members of the Commission shall serve without compensation, except their actual expenses, which shall be subject to the approval of the Council.
(Code of Iowa, Sec. 392.1)
5. Attendance. The Administrative Official or designee shall attend all regular and special meetings of the Commission and shall record and preserve a correct record of the proceedings of such meetings.
6. Powers and Duties. The Commission shall have and exercise the following powers and duties:
A. Selection of Officers. The Commission shall choose annually at its first regular meeting after January 31st one of its members to act as Chairperson and another as Vice Chairperson, who shall perform all the duties of the Chairperson during the Chairperson’s absence or disability.
(Code of Iowa, Sec. 392.1)
B. Adopt Rules and Regulations. The Commission shall adopt such rules and regulations governing its organization and procedure as it may deem necessary.
(Code of Iowa, Sec. 392.1)
C. Zoning. The Commission shall have and exercise all the powers and duties and privileges in establishing the City zoning regulations and other related matters and may from time to time recommend to the Council amendments, supplements, changes or modifications, all as provided by Chapter 414 of the Code of Iowa.
(Code of Iowa, Sec. 414.6)
D. Recommendations on Improvements. The design and proposed location of public improvements shall be submitted to the Commission for its recommendations prior to any actions being taken by the City for the construction or placement of such improvements. Such requirements and recommendations shall not act as a stay upon action for any such improvement if the Commission, after 30 days’ written notice requesting such recommendations, has failed to file the same.
E. Review and Comment on Plats. All plans, plats, or re-plats of subdivision or re-subdivisions of land embraced in the City or adjacent thereto, laid out in lots or plats with the streets, alleys, or other portions of the same intended to be dedicated to the public in the City, shall first be submitted to the Commission and its recommendations obtained before approval by the Council.
(Code of Iowa, Sec. 392.1)
F. Fiscal Responsibilities. The Commission shall have full, complete, and exclusive authority to expend, for and on behalf of the City, all sums of money appropriated to it and to use and expend all gifts, donations, or payments that are received by the City for City planning and zoning purposes.
(Code of Iowa, Sec. 392.1)
G. Limitation on Entering Contracts. The Commission shall have no power to contract debts beyond the amount of its original or amended appropriation as approved by the Council for the present year.
(Code of Iowa, Sec. 392.1)
(Code of Iowa, Sec. 392.1)