[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Village
of Scottsville 8-14-2012 by L.L. No. 1-2012. Amendments noted where
applicable.]
A.
The Village Forestry Board of the Village of Scottsville is hereby
created pursuant to General Municipal Law § 239-x and Environmental
Conservation Law § 47-0103.
B.
By this Act, the Village of Scottsville hereby creates an Advisory
Board to the Board of Trustees of the Village of Scottsville, which
shall be called the "Village Forestry Board."
A.
The Board shall consist of at least five members who shall be appointed
by the Mayor of the Village of Scottsville with the approval of the
Board of Trustees.
B.
Members shall be of voting age and residents of the Village of Scottsville.
The Superintendent of Public Works shall serve as an ex-officio member.
At least one member shall be without official affiliation with the
Village of Scottsville or the Town of Wheatland.
C.
Residents of the Village of Scottsville shall request membership
by stating their interest to the Mayor in writing. The Mayor may,
at his discretion and with executive authority, appoint other members
in a nonvoting capacity.
D.
The term of the members shall be three years, except that the term
of two of the members appointed to the first Board shall be for only
one year, and the term of two members of the first Board shall be
for two years.
E.
In the event a vacancy shall occur during the term of any member,
his or her successor shall be appointed for the unexpired portion
of the vacated term.
F.
The Village Forestry Board will elect its own officers, including
a Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, and Secretary.
G.
The Village Forestry Board shall keep minutes of its proceedings.
H.
Members of the Forestry Board shall serve without compensation.
A.
The Village Forestry Board shall hold regularly scheduled meetings
for the purposes of conducting business as set forth in this section.
A majority of the appointed members shall constitute a quorum for
the transaction of any business as set forth herein, and if the business
of carrying out the duties and responsibilities of this section require
additional meetings, the Village Forestry Board may hold special meetings
at the call of the Chairperson or at the request of three or more
members.
B.
The Village Forestry Board shall study, investigate, counsel, develop
and administer a written plan for the care, preservation, pruning,
planting, replanting, removal or disposition of trees and shrubs on
public property, such as parks, along streets, and in other public
areas.
C.
Such plan shall be reviewed annually and presented to the Village
Board of Trustees by the first Village Board meeting of January, and
upon their acceptance and approval, shall constitute the official
comprehensive Village Forestry Plan.
D.
The Village Forestry Board shall develop or cause to be developed
a tree inventory for street and park trees. The inventory shall be
updated in conjunction with the Department of Public Works, with the
results of documented ground inspections at least every five years.
E.
The Village Forestry Board shall consider, investigate and make findings,
report and recommend upon any special matter or question coming within
the scope of its work. Citizen complaints and safety issues shall
require documented resolution that is part of the minutes of the Village
Forestry Board.
F.
The Village Forestry Board shall, when requested, provide advice
and counsel to the Scottsville Village Planning Board with regard
to any site plan and/or site plan review of which tree plantings are
a part, including but not limited to the review of proposed tree plantings
and landscaping, and recommendations for appropriate tree size, placement,
and species in accordance with all applicable sections of this chapter.
G.
All decisions of the Village Forestry Board shall be submitted to
the Village Board of Trustees for consideration of their impact on
other Village activities and responsibilities, budgets, or the Master
Plan of the Village of Scottsville.
A member of the Village Forestry Board having a conflict of
interest shall abstain from voting on that matter.
The Village Forestry Board may request and obtain any advice
or opinions on the law relating to any matter before the Board from
the Village Attorney, and request the Village Board of Trustees request
the Village Attorney to attend its meetings, as needed.
The Village Forestry Board may request the Village Code Enforcement
Officer and/or the Superintendent of Public Works attend its meetings
and present any facts relating to any matter before the Board, as
needed.
A.
Regular meetings of the Board shall be held monthly on a day and
time agreed to by a majority vote of the Board taken at the first
meeting each year, and thereafter as necessary but no less than quarterly.
B.
The meeting place shall be at a location determined by the Board.
C.
Special meetings may be called by the Chairperson or at the request
of any three members of the Board. Written notice of any special meeting
shall be given no less than three business days in advance of such
meeting. Notice shall be deemed given on the day mailed.
D.
All meetings of the Village Forestry Board shall be open to the public.
E.
The Village Forestry Board members may be required to attend annual
training.
F.
The Village Forestry Board members are required to attend at least
1/2 of all Village Forestry Board meetings to remain on the Board
unless released by the Mayor.
In cases of emergency, the Superintendent of Public Works for
the Village of Scottsville shall be authorized to act as proxy to
the Village Forestry Board.
