[Adopted 11-17-1993 by Ord. No. 327]
[Amended 5-1-1996 by Ord. No. 344; 3-18-1998 by Ord. No.
362]
The City of Rockwood Historical Commission is
hereby established pursuant to the Michigan Historical Commission
Act. Act 213 of the Public Acts of 1957, as amended, being MCLA 399.171
et seq. The Historical Commission shall consist of not less than five
but no more than seven members appointed by the Mayor in the manner
specified under the provisions of Section 3.7 of the Charter of the
City of Rockwood. Up to two additional nonvoting and nonresident,
adjunct members may be appointed to the Historical Commission. All
other members of the Commission shall be qualified City electors and
shall serve without compensation at the pleasure of the Mayor and
Council.
Each member of the Historical Commission shall
be appointed for a term of five years, ending on December 31 of the
fifth year after appointment or upon the appointment of a successor,
whichever is later, except for the five original members, who shall
be appointed for terms of one, two, three, four and five years, respectively.
[Amended 5-1-1996 by Ord. No. 344]
The Historical Commission shall adopt its own
rules of procedure, shall conduct its meetings in public pursuant
to Act 267 of the Public Acts of 1976, as amended, being MCLA 15.261
et seq., and shall keep a record of all of its proceedings, which
shall be open to public inspection pursuant to Act 442 of the Public
Acts of 1976, as amended, being MCLA 15.23 1 et seq. A majority of
the appointed members of the Commission shall constitute a quorum
for the transaction of business.
The Historical Commission shall have the power
to expend such funds as may, from time to time, be appropriated to
it by Council, or may otherwise be received by it, for the purpose
of carrying out the powers and duties of the Commission. An account
of all receipts and expenditures of the Commission shall be maintained,
which shall be made a public record and property of the city.
A.Â
In general, it shall be the duty of the Historical
Commission to collect, arrange, catalog and preserve historical material,
including books, pamphlets, maps, charts, manuscripts, papers, records,
pictures, archives, paintings, statuary and other objects and materials
relating to the history of the City and the surrounding area; to procure
and preserve narratives of the early residents of such area; to collect
material and every description relative to the history, longevity,
literature and progress of Native American tribes of such area; to
collect, prepare and display objects indicative of the life, customs,
dress and resources of the early residents of such area; and to make
available, from time to time, source materials and historical studies
relative to, and illustrative of, the history of such area. The Commission
may, with the approval and assistance of all City public officials,
collect, from the public offices, and reproduce any records, files,
documents, books and papers which, in the opinion of the Commission,
are of historical value.
B.Â
The Commission shall provide for the classification,
arrangement and indexing of such reproductions so that they may be
made available for the use of the public. Subject to the approval
of Council, the Commission may, in the name of the city, acquire,
by purchase, lease, gift, devise, bequest or otherwise, or may hold,
any historical site, building, landmark or property which it deems
suitable or appropriate for carrying out the objectives, functions
or purposes of the Commission, and may maintain any such building
or property for the purpose of displaying any part of its collection
of objects or documents therein. The Commission may locate and erect
plaques or markers at historical sites, buildings or properties in
the City with the consent of the owner or owners of any such property
and subject to the approval of Council. The disposal of any real property
or buildings shall be subject to the approval of Council and shall
be in accordance with the appropriate sections of the City Charter.
C.Â
The Commission may act as the Historic District Study
Committee for the city, which Committee, if instructed to so act by
Council, shall:
(1)Â
Recommend to Council the formation of one or more
historic districts pursuant to the local Historic District Act, Act
169 of the Public Acts of 1970, as amended, being MCLA 399.201 et
seq.;
(2)Â
Conduct a photographic inventory of resources within
each proposed historic district, following procedures established
or approved by the Bureau of History of the Michigan Department of
State (the "Bureau");
(3)Â
Conduct basic research of each proposed historic district
and the historic resources located within that district;
(4)Â
Determine the total number of historic and nonhistoric
resources within a proposed historic district and the percentage of
historic resources of that total. In evaluating the significance of
historic resources, the Committee shall be guided by the selection
criteria for evaluation issued by the United States Secretary of the
Interior for inclusion of resources on the National Register of Historic
Places, as set forth in 36 CFR Part 60, and by criteria established
or approved by the Bureau, if any;
(5)Â
Prepare a preliminary Historic District Study Committee
report that addresses, at a minimum, all of the following:
(a)Â
The charge of the Committee;
(b)Â
The composition of the Committee membership;
(c)Â
The historic district or districts studied;
(d)Â
The boundaries of each proposed historic district,
in writing and on maps;
(e)Â
The history of each proposed historic district;
and
(f)Â
The significance of each district as a whole,
as well as a sufficient number of its individual resources, to fully
represent the variety of resources found within the district, relative
to the evaluation criteria;
(6)Â
Transmit copies of the preliminary report for review
and recommendation to the local planning body, to the Bureau, to the
Michigan Historical Commission and to the State Historic Preservation
Review Board; and
(7)Â
Make copies of the preliminary report available to
the public pursuant to Act 442 of the Public Acts of 1976, as amended,
being MCLA 15.231 to 15.246.
The Historical Commission shall have the power,
with the consent of Council, to accept donations of money, personal
property or real estate for historical purposes. Such donations shall
vest title in the city, subject to the administrative control of the
Commission, in accordance with the deed devise, bequest or grant of
such property. Gifts of money shall be deposited by the Treasurer
in special accounts, from which disbursements shall be made by resolution
of the Commission, subject to concurrence by Council and only in accordance
with the terms of the instruments making such gifts.
The Historical Commission shall make and submit
to Council, annually, a report of the general activities, operations
and condition of the Commission for the proceeding year. The Commission
shall, from time to time, as it deems necessary, advise Council in
writing on all matters necessary for, and pertaining to, the proper
operation of the Commission and any of its activities or property.
No person shall take, use or occupy any property
under control of the Historical Commission, except in accordance with
such rules and regulations governing such activity as may, from time
to time, be prescribed by the Commission.
