[Adopted 4-18-1995 by Ord. No. 101]
There is hereby created a Planning Commission to be known as
the "City of New Buffalo Planning Commission."
[Amended 4-18-2017 by Ord. No. 220; 1-16-2018 by Ord. No. 224; 8-19-2019 by Ord. No. 243]
The Planning Commission shall consist of five members, who shall
represent, insofar as possible, different professions or occupations.
Members of the Planning Commission are appointed by the Mayor subject
to approval by a majority vote of the City Council, City Council members,
the City Manager, and other elected officials and employees of the
City shall not be members of the Planning Commission. Members of the
Planning Commission may be compensated at a rate as may be set from
time to time by resolution of the City Council. One member of the
Planning Commission may also be a member of the Zoning Board of Appeals.
The term of each member shall be three years, but a member may continue
serving until the member's successor assumes office. A member may,
after public hearing, be removed by the City Council for malfeasance,
misfeasance, and nonfeasance in office. Being absent from three consecutive
regular meetings shall constitute nonfeasance and shall be grounds
for removal unless the City Council determines to excuse one or more
of such absences.
[Amended 1-16-2018 by Ord. No. 224]
The Planning Commission shall elect a Chairperson from among
its members and fill such other offices as it may create from time
to time. The Chairperson shall hold office for one year and be eligible
for reelection. The Planning Commission shall meet at least quarterly
pursuant to a regular meeting schedule set annually by resolution
of the City Council. The Planning Commission shall adopt and maintain
rules for the transaction of its business and keep a public record
of its proceedings. A majority of members shall constitute a quorum
for the transaction of business.
The Planning Commission may appoint such employees as it deems
necessary for its work and it may contract with planners, engineers,
architects, and consultants for such services as it may require. The
expenditures of the Planning Commission, exclusive of gifts, shall
be within the amounts appropriated for the purpose by the City Council.
It shall be the function and duty of the Planning Commission
to make and adopt a master plan for the physical development of the
City, including any areas outside its boundaries which, in the Commission's
judgment, bear relation to the planning of the City.
The Planning Commission shall have such powers and duties as
are set forth in the provisions of Act 285 of the Public Acts of 1931,
as amended (Michigan Statutes Annotated, Section 5.2991 et seq.),[1] as well as such additional powers and duties as may be
conferred or imposed upon it from time to time by the laws of the
state, including, but not by way of limitation:
A.
Preparation of a zoning plan for the control of the height, area,
bulk, location, and use of buildings and premises.
B.
Preparation of comprehensive surveys and studies of present conditions
and future growth of the City.
C.
Formal adoption of the master plan, in whole or in part.
D.
Recommendation for approval of streets, parks, other public ways,
grounds, open spaces, and public buildings or structures.
E.
Recommending programs for public structures and improvements and
for the financing thereof.
F.
Publication and distribution of copies of the plan and any reports
of such Commission.
G.
Approval of plats and subdivisions prior to the filing or recording
and adoption of regulations governing the subdivision of land within
the jurisdiction of such Commission.
H.
In general, such powers as may be necessary to enable the Planning
Commission to fulfill its function.
[1]
Editor's Note: This Act was repealed by P.A. 2008, No. 33;
see now the Michigan Planning Enabling Act, MCLA § 125.3801
et seq.
