[HISTORY: Adopted by the Mayor and Council of the City of
Crisfield as indicated in article histories. Amendments noted where
applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Planning Commission — See Ch. 16.
[Adopted 7-8-2009 by Ord. No. 589]
The City shall provide and maintain a system of municipal parks
and sites as it deems necessary.
A Municipal Advisory Board for Parks and Open Space shall be
established. This Commission shall have eight total members consisting
of a Chairman who will serve a three-year term, four members who will
serve two-year terms, and three members who will serve one-year terms.
All recommendations will be made to the City Council for approval.
Members may or may not be City residents and are appointed by the
Mayor.
[Adopted 6-10-2020 by Ord. No. 698]
The City of Crisfield Economic Development Commission is hereby
established and shall operate as an advisory board to the Mayor and
Council in accordance with the provisions of this article. (For purposes
of this article, the term "Commission" shall hereinafter refer to
the City of Crisfield Economic Development Commission.)
A.
Voting members. The Commission shall consist of not fewer than five nor more than nine voting members. Members shall be appointed by the Mayor, with the approval of a majority of the Council. A member shall reside in Somerset County, Maryland. Members may include county or state elected officials and shall be chosen according to their interest and expertise in economic development. The Mayor and Council shall determine the number of members on the Commission. The term of each member shall be four years, and each member is eligible for reappointment to the Commission upon the end of the member's four-year term. (For purposes of this article, the terms "member" or "members" shall refer to each voting member of the Commission appointed in accordance with the provisions of this § 4-4A.)
B.
Ex
officio members. The Commission shall consist of five ex officio,
nonvoting members who shall be comprised of:
(1)
The City Manager;
(2)
The Executive Director of the Somerset County Economic Development
Commission;
(3)
The President of the Crisfield Area Chamber of Commerce or his/her
designee;
(4)
A member of the Board of Directors for the Crisfield Arts and Entertainment
District Project, Inc., and appointed by said Board of Directors;
and
(5)
A member of the Crisfield-Somerset County Airport Advisory Board
and appointed by said board.
The Commission is an advisory body to the Mayor and Council.
The Commission is charged with researching, reviewing and making recommendations
to the Mayor and Council on issues relating to economic development
within the City, and the duties of the Commission shall be as follows:
A.
To
identify and promote economic development for the City.
B.
To
support and encourage the growth and retention of existing businesses
and industry within the City.
C.
To
support and encourage the location of new industry and residential
development within the City and surrounding area.
D.
To
review proposed and existing legislation and policies of the Mayor
and Council relating to economic development within the City, and
to study the impact such legislation and policies have or may have
on economic development within the City and surrounding area.
E.
To
recommend financial incentives and financing methods that will foster
economic development within the City.
F.
To
cooperate with other governmental agencies involved with economic
development.
G.
To
conduct studies and surveys on matters relating to economic development
as deemed desirable by the Mayor and Council.
H.
To
support and encourage conventions and tourism beneficial to the City
and surrounding area.
I.
To
work with existing community enterprises to identify problems which
inhibit economic growth within the City and surrounding area.
J.
To
make recommendations to the Mayor and Council that will enhance economic
growth within the City, when desirable and feasible to do so.
K.
To
develop plans to revitalize the City's Main Street area and other
business districts of the City for review and consideration by the
Mayor and Council.
A.
The
members and ex officio members of the Commission shall not be entitled
to compensation for their service on the Commission or for any operating
expenses incurred by them in connection with such service.
B.
The
Mayor and Council may approve funds for use by the Commission within
the annual budget of the City. The Commission may research and evaluate
financial assistance programs, including donations and grants, for
potential funding to support economic development within the City
or the operations of the Commission; provided, however, any request
for funding from a source other than the City, including an application
for grant funds, shall be in writing and shall be, in all respects,
subject to the prior approval of the Mayor and Council and any conditions
the Council, by majority vote, may impose upon such approval. If approved
by the Mayor and Council, the approved funding request or grant application
shall be executed by the Mayor or the Mayor's authorized designee.
The Commission shall have no authority to expend municipal funds other
than the funds, if any, approved by the Mayor and Council for use
by the Commission.
Meetings of the Commission shall be held regularly and not less
than one time each month, at such times as the Commission shall determine.
The City shall furnish the Commission with a meeting space and office
supplies necessary for the conduct of Commission meetings. All meetings
of the Commission shall be open to the public, except any closed meeting
of the Commission as permitted by MD General Provisions, § 3-301
et seq. (Maryland's Open Meetings Act). All meetings of the Commission,
including any closed meeting or closed portion of any meeting of the
Commission, shall be convened and conducted in compliance with all
applicable provisions of Maryland's Open Meetings Act.
A minimum of three members of the Commission shall be considered
a quorum for the transaction of official business by the Commission.
The Commission, by resolution approved by the Mayor and Council,
may adopt such rules and regulations as deemed necessary by the Commission
for the proper performance of its duties and the transaction of its
business in accordance with the provisions of this article.
A.
Any member may be removed from the Commission for good cause, which
includes a member's frequent or excessive unexcused absence from
Commission meetings, upon the request of the Mayor and the favorable
vote of at least four members of the Council. Before removal, the
member to be removed shall be notified, in writing, of the reasons
for such member's removal, and the member may request a public
hearing before the Mayor and Council within 10 days from the date
of such written notice of removal.
B.
Any vacancy in the membership of the Commission shall be filled by the Mayor and Council in accordance with the provisions set forth in § 4-4A of this article; provided, however, that in the case of an unexpired term, the term of the new member shall be only for the remainder of the unexpired term for which such new member's predecessor was appointed.
The Chairperson of the Commission shall designate a recording
secretary to take minutes of each Commission meeting; additionally,
all Commission meetings shall be recorded electronically. A copy of
the minutes for each meeting of the Commission shall be made available
for public inspection at the offices of City Hall, unless such meeting
minutes or any portion thereof is subject to nondisclosure under Maryland
law.
The members of the Commission shall elect a Chairperson and
Vice Chairperson from its members, each of whom shall serve a term
of two years, and the Chairperson and Vice Chairperson of the Commission
shall be eligible for reelection to such office upon the expiration
of the term.
The Commission shall provide an annual report to the Mayor and
Council detailing the work of the Commission during the reporting
period, which shall include the accomplishments of the Commission
during the reporting period, the goals of the Commission for the following
reporting period, and all recommendations relating to the expansion,
support or promotion of economic development within the City that
the Commission deems advisable for consideration by the Mayor and
Council.
