The term of each member shall be three years, except
the initial appointments which shall be: One for one year; two for two years,
and two for three years, respectively. The term of office of an associate
member shall be three years.
When there is a permanent vacancy, the municipal officers
shall, within 60 days of its occurrence, appoint a person to serve for the
unexpired term. A vacancy shall occur upon the resignation or death of any
member, or when a member ceases to be a legal resident of the Town, or when
a member fails to attend four consecutive regular meetings, or fails to attend
at least 75% of all meetings during the preceding twelve-month period. When
a vacancy occurs the Chairperson of the Board shall immediately so advise
the municipal officers in writing. The Board may recommend to the municipal
officers that the attendance provision be waived for cause, in which case
no vacancy will then exist until the municipal officers disapprove the recommendation.
The municipal officers may remove members of the Planning Board by unanimous
vote, for cause, after notice and hearing. [Note: This section may be modified,
in the case of elected Board members, to indicate that the person appointed
by the municipal officers serves only until the next annual meeting (or some
other time specified here).]
The Board shall elect a Chairperson and Vice Chairperson
from among its members. The Board may either elect a Secretary from among
its members or hire a non-Board member to serve as Secretary. The term of
all officers shall be one year with eligibility for reelection.
When a member is unable to act because of interest, physical
incapacity, absence or any other reason satisfactory to the Chairperson, the
Chairperson shall designate an associate member to sit in that member's stead.
An associate member may attend all meetings of the Board
and participate in its proceedings, but may vote only when he or she has been
designated by the Chairperson to sit for a member.
Any question of whether a member shall be disqualified
from voting on a particular matter shall be decided by a majority vote of
members except the member who is being challenged.
No meeting of the Board shall be held without a quorum
consent of three members or associate members authorized to vote. The Board
shall act by majority vote, calculated on the basis of the number of members
present and voting.
The Board shall adopt rules for transaction of business
and the Secretary shall keep a record of its resolutions, transactions, correspondence,
findings and determinations. All records shall be public and may be inspected
at reasonable times.