Planning Board Ordinance
I. Establishment
Pursuant to Article VIII of the Maine Constitution and 30-AM.R.S. §2691 and §3001, the Town of Hope hereby establishes a Planning Board.
II. Appointment
A. Hope Planning Board members shall be appointed by the Municipal Officers and sworn into office by the Town Clerk or other person authorized to administer oaths.
B. The Planning Board shall consist of five (5) regular members.
C. The term of each member shall be five (5) years, with one member’s term expiring each year.
D. When there is a permanent vacancy on the Hope Planning Board, the Municipal Officers shall, within 60 days of a vacancy occurring, appoint a person to serve for the remainder of the unexpired term. A vacancy shall occur upon the resignation or death of any member, or when a member ceases to be a legal resident of the Town of Hope, or when a member fails, without good cause, to attend four (4) consecutive regular meetings, or at least 75% of all meetings during the preceding twelve-month period. When a vacancy occurs, the Chair of the Planning Board shall immediately advise the Municipal Officers in writing. The Municipal Officers may remove members of the PlanningBoard,byunanimousvote,forcause,afterdueprocess,including notice and hearing.
E. A Municipal Officer may not be a member of the Planning Board.
III. Organization and Rules
A. The Planning Board shall elect a Chair, Vice-Chair, and Secretary annually from among its members. Officers shall be elected at the first regularly scheduled meeting following the Annual Town Meeting.
B. Any question of whether a member shall be disqualified from voting on a particular matter shall be decided by a majority vote of the members present, except the member who is being challenged.
C. No meeting of the Planning Board shall be started without a quorum consisting of three (3) members. The Board shall act by a majority vote of those members present and authorized to vote.
D. Planning Board meeting notices, site walk notices, and accompanying agendas, shall be posted at least one day prior to the event. These notices shall be posted at the Town Office pursuant to 1 M.R.S. §401. Electronic posting of notices may be done for convenience but is not legally required.
E. The Planning Board shall adopt by-laws for the transaction of business. All Planning Board records, resolutions, correspondence, findings, and determinations shall be maintained at the Town Office. All records are public and may be inspected during regular business hours.
IV. Powers and Duties of the Hope Planning Board
A. The Planning Board shall perform such duties and exercise such powers as are provided by Hope Ordinances and the laws of the State of Maine.
B. The Planning Board shall adopt bylaws governing Board functions. Initial adoption of Planning Board bylaws, and all subsequent amendments, shall be subject to review and approval of the Select Board.
C. The Planning Board Chair will submit a report to the Town Administrator which will be included in the Annual Town Report outlining the actions of the Planning Board for the previous year, no later than April 1st.
V. Repeal of Prior Planning Board Ordinance
Any Planning Board Ordinance creating an "old" Planning Board prior to the establishment of this Planning Board Ordinance is hereby repealed. It is the intent of this Ordinance to establish a “new” lawfully authorized Planning Board under the provisions of 30-A M.R.S. § 3001.