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:-"i.:r40:,:~"'12,000 'i~":' 7/0~77.1.' ~ 1'.';
<br />; 7: 41: -": 36,000' ""' flO~
<br />~ ::: .4.2, 25,000; 5/0:¥;. 1-2 30-40 :, ... 0 3y~
<br /> - .?: -
<br /> 43 · 30,000 - , 7/0 · I
<br /> . 44 78,380 5/2 .
<br />
<br />Beard ~emb~ meet geographic'criteria..::. . . '
<br />ZBA is made'up of P & Z commissioners.
<br />Hearing examiner by conlrad.' :'; :"
<br />Some members are in their fifth term. Hard to find
<br />knewledgeabJe/inlerested people wilbout conflid of'interest.
<br />Seven members cumbersome, prefers five.
<br />
<br />· 45 60,738
<br />46 52,000
<br />
<br />47 65,000
<br />48 80,000
<br />49 62,700
<br />
<br />50 95,732
<br />
<br />5/2 2 100
<br />5/2 I 120
<br />
<br />7/2 I 10-15
<br />5/0 1 20-25
<br />5/0 I 3
<br />
<br />7/0 1 35-50
<br />
<br /> 0 2 ),rs
<br /> ** 2 yrs
<br />
<br />0 5 yrs
<br />1,2K 4yrs
<br />** S yrs**
<br />
<br /> 0 . 4 yrs
<br />
<br />Appoints people hmiliar with descriplion of development and
<br />conslrudion.
<br />Appointed until November 19'95. Now ejected to two.year terms.
<br />Chair gets $1.5K, olhers $1K
<br />Codifying standard variations has diminished cases.
<br />Significant emphasis on training. ·
<br />Luncheon and certificate to honor retiring board members. Full-
<br />term members cannot succeed self.
<br />ZBA includes fear citizens and lhree oily staffers. Limiled to
<br />two terms.
<br />
<br />,~d = pay par diem
<br />ZBA = 'zoning bo.rd al ad{uslmenl' is used gen~rica]¥ {or whal
<br /> also known as a bDard e~ ediuslment, zoning board
<br /> adjuslmenl, board of zoning ad{uslmenl, planning and zen}ag
<br /> commission, el al.
<br />
<br /> The Nature of the Office
<br />State enabling legislation generally governs terms of office.
<br />Most board members are appointed, usually by the mayor or
<br />city council, but in some cases by the district court that hears
<br />appeals beyond the local jurisdiction. Taunton, Massachusetts,
<br />recently made its board an elected body. The first group took
<br />office last November and will serve for two years. Other
<br />communities place elected officials on their boards by requiring
<br />a council member to chair the ZBA. Planning commissioners
<br />are often required to sit on the ZBA, and in some cities the
<br />whole planning commission doubles as the ZBA.
<br /> All the boards in this survey were composed of five, seven, or
<br />nine members. Five is most common, with 31 communities,
<br />but 19 have one or more alternates who serve when a member is
<br />absent or is excused from a case due to a conflict of interest. In
<br />Youngstown, Ohio, the board consists of four appointed
<br />citizens and three staff members.
<br /> The length of term varies from one to five years, with most
<br />communities opting for three, four, or five years. Two cities
<br />allow just two terms, not including the completion of an
<br />unfinished term. This concept runs contrary to the concerns of
<br />several respondents who pointed out thc difficulty of finding
<br />appropriate volunteers to serve. Mark Stursma, assistant zoning
<br />administrator with the Region Six Planning Commission in
<br />Marshallcown, Iowa, says some board members there are serving
<br />their fifth term. "It is difficult to find members Who are
<br />knowledgeable and interested and who do not have frequent
<br />conflicts of interest," he says.
<br />
<br />~44ichael Barrette is a fomner APA research associate currently
<br />graduate school at DePaul Universio,.
<br />
<br /> Genoa, Illinois, recently converted from using a ZBA to
<br />employing a hearing officer. The prob]em there was not conflict
<br />of interest, but lack of interest. City administrator Keith Schildt
<br />reports that the city contracted a professional because no one in
<br />the community wanted co serve on the board.
<br /> Finding Volunteers is further complicated when appoint-
<br />ments have to meet special criteria. For example, McLean
<br />County, Illinois; Benzie County, Michigan; and Columbus,
<br />indiana, have geographic criteria. Appointees must come from
<br />separate townships or districts to ensure equal representation. In
<br />Columbus, one alternate must be from the e×traterricorial
<br />jurisdiction. Profession is another common criterion. According
<br />to Paul Dekker, director of community development in
<br />Urbandale, Iowa, state law allows just two real estate profession-
<br />als on the board. Informal professional criteria are very com-
<br />mon, usually aiming to find experienced people. Rapid City,
<br />South Dakota, seeks members who are "familiar with design,
<br />development, and construction issues," says senior planner Tim
<br />Huey, noting that the current chairman is a retired chief
<br />building official for the city. Among the other regular members,
<br />he adds, are three general contractors and a furniture store
<br />owner. The two alternates are the school district's building
<br />manager and an architect. Planners generally look for candidates
<br />who will not require much training, resulting in the frequent
<br />appointment of citizens who have had prior contact with the
<br />planning department.
<br /> In Presque Isle, Maine, however, planning and development
<br />director Jim Brown says officials go out of their way to bring in
<br />fresh faces: "We put out a cattle call when we've got vacancies.
<br />We announce it in the newspapers, on the cable channel, and at
<br />public meetings. There is no staff input. The city council selects
<br />candidates, interviews them, and makes the appointments."
<br />
<br />
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