[Added 12-12-2002 by L.L. No. 6-2002]
The Town Board finds that, notwithstanding the Town's requirements that Planning Board and Zoning Board of Appeals members regularly attend all meetings of their respective boards, there may be circumstances where a board member for good cause is unable to attend a meeting or meetings or where a board member for proper cause recuses himself or herself from considering and voting on a particular application. Where a regular member or members are absent or unable to participate on an application or matter or for a period of time, it is in the public interest for each board to have available substitute member(s) to consider and vote on applications and other matters. The intent of this article is to make alternate board members available to substitute for an absent or recused regular board member in circumstances where the Town Board deems in its discretion such substitution to further the public interest.
This article shall apply to the Planning Board and Zoning Board of Appeals.
Alternate members of the Zoning Board of Appeals and of the Planning Board shall be appointed by the Town Board, for terms established by said Town Board. An alternate member of the Zoning Board of Appeals may be a regular member of the Planning Board or any other person qualified to serve as an official of the Town. An alternate member of the Planning Board may be a regular member of the Zoning Board of Appeals or any other person qualified to serve as a Town official. In appointing alternate board members, the Town Board shall also designate which of the alternate board members will substitute on the first occasion that service of an alternate board member is deemed necessary and shall also designate the order in which alternate board members will serve on such subsequent occasions.
When one or more regular board member(s) expects to be absent due to illness, business or other good cause for two or more months or recuses himself or herself for proper cause from considering and voting on a particular application or matter, the Chairperson of that board may request the Town Board to designate an alternate board member(s) to substitute for such regular board member(s) or the Town Board may make such designation without a prior request. Said designation by the Town Board shall be made in accordance with the list of alternate board members created pursuant to § 27-11.
When designated to substitute for a regular board member, alternate board members shall possess all the powers of a regular member of the board. Such designation shall be entered into the minutes of the initial board meeting at which the substitution is made. An alternate board member can consider and vote on applications made or recommendations sought prior to designation of the alternate board member. Any recommendation, decision or determination of a board which includes the vote of one or more alternate board members shall have equal force and effect as recommendations, decisions and determinations made solely by a vote of the regular members of said board.
All provisions of law, regulation and policy relating to Planning Board member and/or Zoning Board of Appeals member training and continuing education, meeting attendance, compensation, eligibility, vacancy in office, removal, and service on other boards shall apply to alternate board members.
A. 
This article supersedes Town Law §§ 267 and 271 to the extent that said sections limit the number of board members, fail to provide for appointment of and substitution by alternate board members for reasons of illness, business or other good cause and prohibit new board members from taking part in the consideration of any matter for which an application was on file prior to the member's appointment.
B. 
This article shall supersede any inconsistent provision of state law enacted subsequent to adoption of this article.