[Adopted 4-22-2023 by L.L. No. 1-2023]
The purpose of this article is to establish the procedure the Town Board must follow before making an appointment to fill a vacancy on the Town of Ghent Zoning Board of Appeals and Planning Board. Nothing in this article is intended or shall be construed to usurp or limit the authority of the Town Board to appoint the members of these boards as provided by New York State law.
A. 
The procedure described in this article shall be followed whenever there is a vacancy on the Town of Ghent Zoning Board of Appeals or Planning Board. A vacancy may occur upon the expiration of a term or in the event of death, resignation, disqualification, or removal from office. Regardless of the circumstances leading to the vacancy, the procedure described in this article must be followed except where the vacancy is to be filled by reappointment of a member of the Zoning Board of Appeals or Planning Board to an additional consecutive term.
B. 
In the event of a vacancy on the Town of Ghent Zoning Board of Appeals or Planning Board to be filled by Town Board appointment, the Town Supervisor shall send a written request for recommendation to the Chairperson of the Selection Committee for Zoning Board of Appeals and Planning Board Members.
A. 
There shall be established by the Town Board a Selection Committee for Zoning Board of Appeals and Planning Board Members (hereinafter the "Selection Committee") for the purpose of identifying, soliciting, interviewing, evaluating, and recommending to the Town Board candidates for appointment to the Zoning Board of Appeals and Planning Board. Such committee may be established as a standing committee of the Town Board or from time to time as necessary to assist the Town Board whenever a vacancy shall occur on either board. If the Selection Committee is not a standing committee of the Town, then it must be promptly established by the Town Board upon the occurrence of a vacancy to enable the Supervisor to send a timely request for recommendation to the Chairperson thereof.
B. 
The Selection Committee shall have authority to advertise vacancies, solicit potential candidates, require application materials, and interview candidates.
C. 
The Selection Committee shall be comprised of the Chairperson of the Zoning Board of Appeals, the Chairperson of the Planning Board, a Town Board member, and such other members as the Town Board shall from time to time designate.
D. 
The Selection Committee shall be chaired by the Chairperson of the Zoning Board of Appeals when considering candidates for appointment to the Zoning Board of Appeals, or by the Chairperson of the Planning Board when considering candidates for appointment to the Planning Board.
Whenever there is a vacancy to be filled by the Town Board, except where the vacancy is to be filled by reappointment of a member of the Zoning Board of Appeals or Planning Board to an additional consecutive term, the vacancy and a call for candidates must be posted on the Town of Ghent website and otherwise publicly disseminated by the Town as necessary to promote public awareness.
A. 
All candidates for appointment must submit to the Selection Committee a written statement of interest along with such other and further application materials as the Selection Committee shall from time to time deem it necessary and appropriate to require. All statements of interest and other application materials received by the Selection Committee shall be filed with the Town Clerk and made available to the Town Board for review.
B. 
The Selection Committee shall review all statements of interest received along with any other application materials submitted and select candidates to be interviewed by the Committee.
C. 
Before any candidate is recommended to the Town Board for appointment, the Selection Committee shall hold at least one interview with such candidate. The Selection Committee shall provide the Town Board with reasonable notice of the time and place of each interview that it conducts so that interested members of the Town Board may attend and observe.
D. 
Upon the completion of its review process, the Selection Committee shall recommend in writing to the Town Board a candidate or candidates for appointment.
A. 
Should the Selection Committee fail to recommend a candidate for appointment within 60 days of the Town Supervisor's written request for recommendation, the procedure described in the article shall be deemed complete and the Town Board may, in its sole and absolute discretion, grant the Selection Committee additional time to recommend a candidate or proceed to fill the vacancy without recommendation of the Selection Committee.
B. 
The Town Board may disagree with the Selection Committee and shall have no obligation to appoint any recommended candidate. Ultimately, the authority to fill vacancies on the Town of Ghent Zoning Board of Appeals and Planning Board rests with the Town Board as provided by New York State law.