The Town Board finds that, notwithstanding the
Town's requirements that Planning Board and Zoning Board of Appeals
members regularly attend all meetings of their respective boards,
there may be circumstances where a board member for good cause is
unable to attend a meeting or meetings or where a board member for
proper cause recuses himself or herself from considering and voting
on a particular application. Where a regular member or members are
absent or unable to participate on an application or matter or for
a period of time, it is in the public interest for each board to have
available substitute member(s) to consider and vote on applications
and other matters. The intent of this article is to make alternate
board members available to substitute for an absent or recused regular
board member in circumstances where the Town Board deems in its discretion
such substitution to further the public interest.
This article shall apply to the Planning Board
and Zoning Board of Appeals.
Alternate members of the Zoning Board of Appeals
and of the Planning Board shall be appointed by the Town Board, for
terms established by said Town Board. An alternate member of the Zoning
Board of Appeals may be a regular member of the Planning Board or
any other person qualified to serve as an official of the Town. An
alternate member of the Planning Board may be a regular member of
the Zoning Board of Appeals or any other person qualified to serve
as a Town official. In appointing alternate board members, the Town
Board shall also designate which of the alternate board members will
substitute on the first occasion that service of an alternate board
member is deemed necessary and shall also designate the order in which
alternate board members will serve on such subsequent occasions.
When one or more regular board member(s) expects to be absent due to illness, business or other good cause for two or more months or recuses himself or herself for proper cause from considering and voting on a particular application or matter, the Chairperson of that board may request the Town Board to designate an alternate board member(s) to substitute for such regular board member(s) or the Town Board may make such designation without a prior request. Said designation by the Town Board shall be made in accordance with the list of alternate board members created pursuant to §
27-11.
When designated to substitute for a regular
board member, alternate board members shall possess all the powers
of a regular member of the board. Such designation shall be entered
into the minutes of the initial board meeting at which the substitution
is made. An alternate board member can consider and vote on applications
made or recommendations sought prior to designation of the alternate
board member. Any recommendation, decision or determination of a board
which includes the vote of one or more alternate board members shall
have equal force and effect as recommendations, decisions and determinations
made solely by a vote of the regular members of said board.
All provisions of law, regulation and policy
relating to Planning Board member and/or Zoning Board of Appeals member
training and continuing education, meeting attendance, compensation,
eligibility, vacancy in office, removal, and service on other boards
shall apply to alternate board members.