The purpose of this chapter is to establish advisory commissions
that shall provide the City of Ithaca, City of Ithaca Common Council
and committees thereof, and the City of Ithaca's quasi-judicial boards,
with research, public input, and analysis and other assistance as
necessary in the subject areas impacting the City of Ithaca to which
each advisory commission is tasked.
[Amended 1-4-2023 by Ord. No. 2023-01]
The Common Council of the City of Ithaca hereby establishes
the Public Safety and Information Commission; Community Life Commission;
Mobility, Accessibility, and Transportation Commission; Parks, Recreation,
and Natural Resources Commission; and Sustainability and Climate Justice
Commission. These commissions shall be collectively known as the "advisory
commissions." The advisory commissions serve the City of Ithaca, the
City of Ithaca Common Council and committees thereof, and the City
of Ithaca's quasi-judicial boards. The advisory commissions serve
solely in an advisory capacity and, absent approval of the Common
Council, may take no action binding the City, its officers, or employees.
The general duties of the advisory commissions, in addition
to those specific duties of each advisory commission set forth in
this chapter, are as follows:
A.
To
draft and update as necessary a work plan in consultation with the
advisory commission's Common Council liaisons and City staff designees.
B.
To
draft and vote on advisory resolutions or summary statements on matters
before the Common Council, committees thereof, or the City's quasi-judicial
boards.
C.
To
receive public input on, and facilitate public discussion of, matters
before the Common Council, committees thereof, or the City's quasi-judicial
boards.
D.
To
conduct research on matters before the Common Council, committees
thereof, or the City's quasi-judicial boards.
E.
To
research and make recommendations regarding City processes and policies.
F.
To
hold regular meetings as set forth in this article.
G.
To
maintain records of proceedings.
A.
Membership
and appointment. Each advisory commission shall consist of nine voting
members who shall be appointed as follows:
(1)
Voting members. Each advisory commission shall have nine voting members,
comprised of one Chairperson and eight Commissioners.
(2)
Chairperson. The Mayor, with approval of the Common Council, shall
appoint one voting Chairperson to each advisory commission. The Chairperson
shall preside over the advisory commission and set the advisory commission's
meeting agendas in consultation with designated City staff and the
Common Council liaisons.
(3)
Commissioners. The Mayor, with approval of the Common Council, shall
appoint eight voting Commissioners to each advisory commission.
(4)
Common Council liaisons. The Mayor shall appoint two nonvoting Common
Council liaisons to each advisory commission, neither of which should,
if feasible, be the committee chair for any standing committee of
the Common Council.
(5)
Advisors. Each advisory commission may appoint up to 10 nonvoting
advisors who have expertise in one or more subject matter areas addressed
by the advisory commission. Any such appointed advisor shall serve
as a resource to the advisory commission and may participate in meetings,
subcommittees, or working groups as permitted by the advisory commission's
rules and procedures in their discussion of agenda items as to which
the appointed advisor has expertise to offer. Subject to renewal by
the advisory commission to which the advisor serves, such advisors'
terms shall expire one year after appointment, unless earlier terminated
by that Commission.
B.
Residency.
(1)
No more than two Commissioners may reside outside the City of Ithaca.
When appointing a nonresident Commissioner, the Mayor shall strive
to appoint nonresident Commissioners with demonstrable ties to or
interests in the City, including, but not limited to, ownership of
real property in the City, ownership of a business that is located
in the City or conducts business in the City, employment in the City,
membership on the board of a not-for-profit organization located in
the City or serving the City, or other significant volunteer work
in the City.
(2)
The Chairperson must reside in the City of Ithaca.
C.
Terms
of office. Terms of office for the voting members of the advisory
commissions shall be two years, except that of the initial appointments,
four shall expire on December 31, 2018, and five shall expire on December
31, 2019.
D.
Vacancies.
Vacancies on the advisory commissions shall be filled in the same
manner as the original appointment, except that a vacancy occurring
other than by expiration of term of office shall be filled only for
the remainder of the unexpired term. Applications to fill the vacancy
of an expiring term that have been submitted by October 31 of the
year in which the term expires, or on such other date as the Common
Council may deem appropriate, shall be considered for appointment
to the subsequent term. In the event that a vacancy arises for reasons
other than the expiration of the term, applications to fill the vacancy
that have been submitted by April 30 shall be considered for appointment
to the vacancy effective no later than July 1, and applications that
have been submitted by October 31 shall be considered for appointment
to the vacancy effective no later than January 1 of the following
year.
Each advisory commission shall hold regular meetings once each
month. Each advisory commission's Chairperson, or at least three Commissioners,
may call special meetings as required to conduct the business of the
advisory commission. All regular and special meetings of the Commission
shall be open to the public.
All meetings of the advisory commissions shall have an agenda
which shall be available to the public before the meeting.
The advisory commissions shall not conduct public business without
the presence of a quorum, which shall be five voting members.
Each advisory commission shall keep a record, which shall be
open to the public view, of its resolutions, proceedings and actions.
The vote or failure to vote of each voting member shall be recorded.
The concurring affirmative vote of a majority of the full voting membership
shall constitute approval of the adoption of any resolution, motion
or other action of the advisory commission.
A.
The
Common Council may, by resolution, adopt such rules and procedures
of the advisory commissions as required to conduct the business of
the advisory commissions and which are not inconsistent with the provisions
of this chapter.
B.
Each
advisory commission, with approval of Common Council, may adopt supplemental
rules and procedures as required to conduct its business, which are
not inconsistent with the provisions of this chapter, and which are
not inconsistent with all other rules and procedures applicable to
the advisory commission adopted by the Common Council.
C.
Each
advisory commission shall have the authority to create, and to dissolve,
ad hoc working groups that are generally limited in purpose and scope
to a particular issue or topic and that exist only for a limited duration
of time. When forming a working group, the advisory commission shall
appoint the majority of the working group's membership from the advisors
serving the advisory commission that is forming the working group.
No such working group may exist for more than one year from the date
of the working group's formation, or from the date of the working
group's most-recent renewal, unless the Commission which formed the
working group renews the working group by a majority vote.
