The Town Board of the Town of Haverstraw, aware of the needs of a progressive
and expanding community and further aware that the growth of the Town of Haverstraw
has created traffic hazards and fire hazards resulting from motor vehicle
operation in various parts of the town, acting under authority of the Town
Law of the State of New York, hereby determines that the enactment of this
chapter will contribute to minimize and, wherever possible, prevent traffic
congestion on public streets and highways and ameliorate traffic and other
motor-vehicle-caused fire hazards and thus will also contribute to promoting
and protecting the public health, safety and general welfare.
The Town Board is hereby authorized and empowered to create a Traffic
and Traffic Fire Safety Advisory Board which shall consist of five members,
who shall be especially qualified by reason of training or experience in traffic
safety, traffic engineering, firesafety and firesafety engineering, planning
of traffic and parking patterns to enable their use by emergency vehicles,
community planning or other relevant business or profession or by reason of
civic interest and sound judgment.
The members of the Traffic and Traffic Fire Safety Advisory Board shall
be appointed by the Town Board, except that the Fire Inspector, the Chief
of Police, the Building Inspector and the Superintendent of Highways of the
Town of Haverstraw hereby are made permanent members of this Board. The Traffic
and Traffic Fire Safety Advisory Board shall elect a Chairman from its own
members. The term of office of the Chairman shall be one year. The Town Board
may provide for compensation to be paid to said members and a Secretary and
provide for such other expenses as may be necessary and proper, not exceeding
in all the appropriations that may be made by the Town Board for such Traffic
and Traffic Fire Safety Advisory Board. The Town Board is hereby authorized
to make such appropriation as it may see fit for such expenses; however, such
expenses shall be a charge upon the taxable property of that part of the town
outside of incorporated villages.
The term of office shall be from the date of appointment until December
31, 1988. Thereafter, each Board member shall be appointed for a two-year
term commencing January 1, 1989. If a vacancy shall occur otherwise than by
expiration of a term, it shall be filled by the Town Board by appointment
for the unexpired term. Except as hereinabove stated, members of the Traffic
and Traffic Fire Safety Advisory Board shall serve at the pleasure of the
Town Board.
Meetings of the Traffic and Traffic Fire Safety Advisory Board shall
be held at such time as the Board may determine and at such times at the call
of the Chairman. Three members of such Board shall constitute a quorum for
the transaction of business. All meetings of such Board shall be open to the
public. The Board shall keep minutes of its proceedings, showing the vote
of each member upon any question or, if absent or failing to vote, indicating
such fact, and shall also keep records of its examinations and official actions.
Every rule, regulation, every amendment or repeal thereof and every requirement,
decision or determination of the Board shall immediately be filed in the office
of the Town Clerk and shall be a public record. The Board shall have the power
to adopt, amend and repeal rules and regulations after a public hearing by
the Traffic and Traffic Fire Safety Advisory Board and subject to the approval
of the Town Board governing its procedure and the transaction of business.
The Town Board may, by resolution, ordinance or local law, provide for
the reference of any matter to the Traffic and Traffic Fire Safety Advisory
Board before the final action thereon by the body or officer of the town having
final authority to act thereon, with or without the provision that final action
thereon shall not be taken until the Traffic and Traffic Fire Safety Advisory
Board has submitted its report or has had a reasonable time, to be fixed by
the Town Board, to submit the report.