Chapter 2.35
CITIZEN INVOLVEMENT PROGRAM
Sections:
2.35.020 Citizen Involvement Committee (CIC).
2.35.030 Citizen Advisory Committees (CAC).
2.35.040 Citizen Advisory Committee area boundaries.
2.35.010 Purpose.
A. The purpose of the Josephine County Citizen Involvement Program is to ensure the following:
1. That citizens from all geographic areas have continued involvement in the land planning process;
2. That citizen input in the land planning process is adequately considered by planning officials.
B. To accomplish the purpose of the program, the following are required:
1. Adequate human and financial resources shall be allocated to accomplish the purposes of the program. The amount of these resources shall be sufficient to accomplish the purposes set out in this section;
2. Mechanisms by which the general public will have the opportunity to participate in the land planning process shall include the following:
a. Quasi-judicial proceedings shall be noticed as stated in the appropriate land development code or ordinance;
b. Legislative proceedings shall be noticed as stated in the appropriate land development code or ordinance and shall include a notice to any affected CAC.
3. Technical materials shall be available to the public as follows:
a. The comprehensive plan and all related land development codes and ordinances shall be available at all branches of the Josephine County Library;
b. Materials relating to a specific request shall be available for viewing at the Planning Department;
c. Copies of the materials relating to a specific request may be purchased from the Planning Department. [Ord. 93-13.]
2.35.020 Citizen Involvement Committee (CIC).
A. Method of Selection. The Citizen Involvement Committee shall be composed of the members of the Rural Planning Commission as appointed by the Board of County Commissioners.
B. Term. CIC membership shall be consistent with the terms of appointment to the Rural Planning Commission.
C. Duties. CIC duties are as follows:
1. To review the Citizen Involvement Program on a regular basis and to recommend any changes to the Board of County Commissioners;
2. To evaluate the success of the program;
3. The CIC shall be the focus of citizen participation in Josephine County;
4. The CIC shall certify that an election which has been held by a CAC followed the adopted by-laws for Josephine County and shall certify that the CAC is a legally established CAC. [Ord. 93-13.]
2.35.030 Citizen Advisory Committees (CAC).
A. Method of Selection. Selection of CAC members shall be by a public election process of verified residents of the CAC area. The time and frequency of subsequent elections shall be clearly outlined in each CAC Charter.
1. Voting Privileges. Voting privileges shall be widely dispersed. The voting qualifications, as well as balloting procedures, shall be clearly outlined in each CAC Charter;
2. Broad Representation. All elections shall be extensively publicized using one or all of the mass media (radio, television, newspaper and the public mail), with the primary purpose being to encourage broad participation and representation.
B. Organization. Each CAC shall be organized in the following manner:
1. Each CAC shall furnish a group of officers which will be responsible for the operation of the CAC and for coordinating with the Planning Director with a minimum of a presiding officer and a secretary-treasurer;
2. Each CAC shall determine specific length of term of officers and number of consecutive terms, including a stipulation for staggering terms and for an uneven number of members;
3. Minimum size of committee shall be five members;
4. Each CAC shall have a recall procedure to recall members of that CAC;
5. Meeting dates shall coincide with the planning process;
6. Charging dues for membership shall not be required. Voluntary contributions may be used as a source of income;
7. The CACs which have been mapped and have boundaries delineated on the map officially adopted in 1978 and incorporated by reference into this document are: Wolf Creek, Sunny Valley, Jump Off Joe, Hugo, Shan Creek-Galice, North Valley, Jones Creek, Murphy-New Hope, Williams, Lower Applegate, Selma, Central Illinois Valley, O’Brien, Takilma, Redwood, Fruitdale-Harbeck/Green Creek;
8. Each CAC shall maintain a copy of the CAC by-laws and the County by-laws and the County Citizen Involvement Program. The local CAC by-laws shall be reviewed and submitted to the CIC every five years.
C. Function. The function of the CACs shall be as follows:
1. To review and provide comments on any land use or land division applications in their area. The process for this shall be as follows:
a. The Planning Department shall send notice to the affected CAC at the time general notice is mailed for the request;
b. The CAC may call a public meeting to deliberate a request and shall keep minutes of this meeting. Notice of the meeting shall be posted in a location such as the Post Office which is central to the citizens of the community at least 24 hours prior to the meeting;
c. CAC representatives must disclose prior to the beginning of a meeting called to discuss an application, whether they have had any ex parte contacts with the applicant and what was said during the contact and whether they are an affected party or have a financial interest in the matter at hand;
d. The CAC recommendation to the Planning Commission shall be in writing and will include a majority and minority report, enumeration of decision reasons, and include all relevant data collected by the CAC in their deliberations;
e. The CAC recommendation shall be considered as part of the record of the public comment for the request.
2. The CAC may hold public hearings to review and recommend changes in the comprehensive plan for its area and shall submit a record of the recommendation and deliberations including majority and minority reports in writing to the Planning Department;
3. CACs may recommend Planning Commission candidates to the Board of County Commissioners in order to assist the Board in ensuring reasonable geographic representation on the Planning Commission. [Ord. 93-13.]
2.35.040 Citizen Advisory Committee area boundaries.
A. Areas not currently represented on the officially adopted map and who wish to form area advisory committees must recognize the established boundaries of existing CAC groups.
B. Once new boundaries are established and CAC groups formed, the Planning Director and the CIC will be so informed.
C. If any area within an existing CAC boundary wishes to establish a new area, they must present their reasons for division to the CIC for consideration and subsequent recommendation to the Board of County Commissioners. [Ord. 93-13.]