There is hereby created a historic commission for the city.
The historic commission shall consist of nine members appointed
by the mayor and council. In making the appointments, the council
shall solicit recommendations from the Willamalane Park and Recreation
District and Lane County School District #19 (Springfield schools).
Members appointed to the historical commission shall be residents,
electors, or property owners within Springfield, appointees of other
Springfield public agencies, or specialists with expertise in the
fields of architecture, history, architectural history, planning or
archaeology, who live within the metro-area general plan boundaries.
The development services director, or a duly authorized representative,
shall be an ex-officio member of the commission. The director of the
Springfield Museum shall also be an ex-officio member of the commission.
[Section 2.502 amended by Ordinance No. 6436, enacted January 18, 2022]
Appointed members shall hold office for four years with the
terms staggered to provide overlapping and continuity.
Any vacancy on the historic commission shall be filled by the
mayor and council for the unexpired portion of the term of the member
creating the vacancy. The office of an appointed commission member
shall be deemed vacant whenever the commission member has two consecutive
unexcused absences. If the commission member has more than three consecutive
excused absences, the commission may declare that position vacant.
At the beginning of each calendar year, the historic commission
shall elect a chairperson and vice-chairperson who shall hold office
for one year.
The development services director, or a duly authorized representative,
shall keep an accurate and legally sufficient record of all proceedings
before the commission.
A majority of the appointed members shall constitute a quorum.
If a quorum is present, all matters shall be decided by a vote of
the majority.
The historic commission shall meet at such times and places
as may be fixed by the commission. Special meetings may be called
in accordance with state public meeting laws by the chairperson or
vice-chairperson. All meetings shall comply with state public meetings
laws.
The principal staff to the historic commission shall be the
development services director and the development services department
staff.
(1)
An objective
of the historic commission is to obtain property, objects, and records
of historical interest to the citizens of Springfield and to foster
among the citizens of Springfield the appreciation for the historical
heritage present in the Springfield community.
(2)
The
historic commission is authorized to obtain and preserve property,
objects and records of historical interest to the citizens of Springfield,
including but not limited to written and photographic material, objects
related to the city’s industrial or logging background and memorabilia
from the pioneer period.
(3)
The
historic commission may receive and display property, objects and
records and may sign loan agreements for lending and receiving the
items.
(4)
The
historic commission is authorized to obtain, receive and administer
land on behalf of the city for the purpose of carrying out its objective.
(5)
The
historic commission may solicit contributions and gifts for use in
carrying out its objectives, and is authorized to investigate and,
subject to council approval, apply for grants that may be available
through public and private agencies.
(6)
The
historic commission shall review and make recommendations to the planning
commission, hearings officer and/or council concerning quasi-judicial
decisions and legislative recommendations for properties within, or
potentially within, the Historic Overlay District as described in
Article 30 of the Springfield Development Code.
All decisions of the historic commission and recommendations
to the planning commission, hearings officer and/or council shall
be in writing and shall include findings and reasoning in support
of the recommendation.
