[HISTORY: Adopted by the Town Board of the Town of Lima as indicated in article histories. Amendments noted where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Joint Planning Board — See Ch. 56.
Zoning — See Ch. 250.
[Adopted 9-2-2010 by L.L. No. 4-2010]
Pursuant to Articles 5-G and 5-J of the General Municipal Law of the State of New York, the Town of Lima is authorized to abolish the Zoning Board now exclusively serving the Town of Lima and to create, by cooperative agreement with the Village of Lima, a joint zoning board serving both the Town of Lima and the Village of Lima, as provided hereinafter in this article.
Upon the effective date of this agreement, the existing Zoning Board of the Town of Lima shall be abolished and all matters currently pending before the Zoning Board shall be transferred to the Joint Zoning Board serving both the Town of Lima and the Village of Lima. The Joint Zoning Board shall have the same powers, authority, duties and responsibilities as are set forth in the New York State Town Law and the New York Village Law, respectively, governing the presently separate zoning boards of the two jurisdictions. The Joint Zoning Board shall be empowered and authorized to deal with such matters as would heretofore have come before the separate zoning boards of either municipality.
The Joint Zoning Board shall consist of seven members and two alternate members, who shall be appointed and serve in the following manner:
A. 
The Town Board of the Town of Lima shall appoint four members of the Joint Zoning Board, and the Mayor of the Village of Lima, subject to the approval of the Village Board of Trustees shall appoint three members of the Joint Zoning Board. It is agreed that the Town of Lima shall be entitled to appoint one member more than the Village of Lima in recognition of the fact that the great majority of future land use planning and development in Lima shall take place in the Town of Lima outside the corporate limits of the Village of Lima.
The Chairperson of the Joint Zoning Board shall be jointly and collaboratively appointed by the Town Board and the Mayor of the Village, with the approval of the Village Board of Trustees. The appointment on behalf of the Village shall be made by the Mayor, subject to the approval of the Board of Trustees. The appointment on behalf of the Town shall be made by the Town Board. Both Town and Village Boards must agree and consent to the appointment of the Chairperson.
Appointment of members of the Joint Zoning Board and the alternate members shall be as follows:
A. 
One member shall be appointed by each of the Town Board and the Village Board for an initial term of one year.
B. 
One member shall be appointed by each of the Town Board and the Village Board for an initial term of two years.
C. 
One member shall be appointed by each of the Town Board and the Village Board for an initial term of three years.
D. 
One member shall be appointed by the Town Board for an initial term of four years.
E. 
Upon the expiration of the initial term of any one member of the Joint Zoning Board, the term of such member shall thereafter be for a term or period of five years.
F. 
One alternate member of the Joint Zoning Board shall be appointed by the Town Board, and one alternate member shall be appointed by the Mayor of the Village, with the approval of the Village Board of Trustees. The term of appointment of the alternate members of the Joint Zoning Board shall be for a term of two years.
The Town of Lima shall retain all fees associated with matters brought before the Joint Zoning Board involving property located in the Town outside of the Village boundary. The Village of Lima shall keep all fees associated with matters brought before the Joint Zoning Board relating to property located within the Village boundaries. The purpose hereof is to permit separate or disparate fee or cost schedules that may be promulgated by each municipality.
The Town of Lima and the Village of Lima will each respectively remain separately liable to pay for all expenses associated with maintaining, changing or amending its Code book and/or online Code.
All costs associated with maintaining the Joint Zoning Board shall be shared equally between the Town and the Village. These costs will be reimbursed each to the other on a biannual basis, as shall be jointly determined by the municipalities. Such costs shall include, but not be limited to, stipends for the Joint Zoning Board members and compensation to the Secretary, postage, supplies, equipment and any and all other resources reasonably necessary to carry out the function of the Joint Zoning Board.
Both the Town and the Village will keep separate written records of the Joint Zoning Board proceedings, including but not limited to meeting minutes and any documents pertaining to issues within the Joint Zoning Board's jurisdiction. These documents will be maintained in accordance with record management guidelines. It is intended and understood that the Town will retain records pertaining to Town applications and Town properties, and the Village will retain records pertaining to Village applications and Village properties, although either the Village or the Town may choose to keep one record of all such Board activities if it is deemed advisable to do so.
A. 
All members of the Joint Zoning Board shall be required to comply with such requirements, including training and attendance, as may be established by the Town Board and the Village Board by resolution or local law and as mandated by the State of New York. All members of the Joint Zoning Board shall be required to attend at least 2/3 of the meetings of the Joint Zoning Board, and no more than two unexcused meeting absences shall be permitted during any one calendar year.
B. 
In the event that the above meeting attendance requirements are not met by an individual Board member, said Board member shall be ineligible to continue in membership on said Board, and upon delivery of notice by the Board Clerk to the member so stating, that individual's Board membership shall be terminated and that Board position shall be deemed vacant.
The creation of a Joint Zoning Board is the result of independent action taken by the Town Board of the Town of Lima and the Village Board of the Village of Lima pursuant to the Intermunicipal Joint Planning Board and Zoning Board Agreement, said agreement being duly adopted by each said board. This agreement shall remain in full force and effect indefinitely, until and unless such time that either the Village or the Town notifies the other party of changes to be made to this Intermunicipal Joint Planning Board and Zoning Board Agreement. Notification of such proposed changes shall be made no less than 90 days prior to the change taking place, unless both the Town Board and the Village Board freely agree to act within a shorter period.
In the event that one or both of the Village Board of Trustees or the Town Board shall in the future elect to terminate this Intermunicipal Joint Planning Board and Zoning Board Agreement and to resume operation of separate zoning boards, such election must be communicated to the other municipal board in writing, and such dissolution of the joint board shall not take effect until one year after the receipt at a regularly scheduled public meeting of said board of such notice of election to dissolve the joint board(s) and to revoke this agreement. Termination of the joint municipal Board shall not be effective or final until each the Town Board and the Village Board of Trustees shall have scheduled and held a noticed public hearing to consider dissolution of the joint board, and until at least one subsequent regular meeting of each of the Town Board and the Village Board of Trustees shall have taken place in order to receive further public input or comment. Thereafter, the boards would be free to take action to dissolve the joint board or boards and to schedule resumption of operations of a separate zoning board.
This article shall become effective within 30 days following the filing thereof with the Secretary of State and abolition of the separate Town and Village planning boards and separate zoning boards, and concurrent creation of a Town and Village Joint Zoning Board and Joint Zoning Board shall take place as of January 1, 2011.
[Adopted 4-7-2011 by L.L. No. 4-2011]
This article shall be entitled "A Local Law Requiring the Identification of Alternate Members of the Zoning Board Authorized to Act in Matters Before the Board." It shall modify the procedure presently applicable to conduct of the Joint Zoning Board as to authorization of acting alternate members serving on the Joint Zoning Board.
It is sometimes difficult to maintain a quorum on the Zoning Board because members are ill, on extended vacation or find they have a conflict of interest situation on a specific matter before the Board. In such instances, official business cannot be conducted which may delay or impede adherence to required timelines. The use of alternate members in such instances has been authorized by the Town of Lima since the adoption of Local Law No. 1 of 2010.[1] This article is intended to further clarify when an alternate member shall be authorized to act in place of a regular member of said Board.
[1]
Editor's Note: See Ch. 250, Zoning.
A. 
The Town of Lima hereby enacts this article to provide a process for authorizing the active participation of an alternate member of the Joint Zoning Board in matters before the Joint Zoning Board.
B. 
The Chairperson of the Joint Zoning Board may designate an alternate to act for a member when such member is unable to participate on an application or matter before the Board, or if it is necessary to do so in order to maintain a quorum of membership.
C. 
The Chairperson of the Joint Zoning Board shall be required to identify and enter into the official record of said meeting the name of the alternate member appointed to act, the name of the regular member for whom the alternate member is designated to act, and the subject or issue that member is authorized to consider. For example, a Board member may be unable to participate or act in a matter before the Board due to a conflict of interest. In such instance, the alternate member shall be designated to act for and in lieu of the regular member from that time forward in consideration of the matter identified. When so designated, the alternate member shall possess all the powers and responsibilities of such regular member of the Board in connection with the specific matter involving the possible conflict of interest. However, the alternate member shall not be authorized in such instance to replace the regular member in any other business or action before the Board, absent another conflict or disqualification.
D. 
If an alternate member is designated to act in substitution for an absent regular Board member, the alternate member shall be authorized to continue to act in connection with action items considered only if the regular member has had no significant or meaningful Board involvement in dealing with such action or agenda item. For example, a regular Board member may be absent from a meeting due to illness or scheduled vacation. If the regular member has been involved in consideration of an application before the Joint Zoning Board predating the regular member's absence, the regular member would resume his or her active participation in considering such matter or agenda item upon the regular member's return to Board attendance, in which instance the alternate member's activity shall be suspended.
E. 
If the alternate member is involved in the first or initial substantial application appearance before the Joint Zoning Board, the alternate member would continue his or her active participation in considering such matter or agenda item upon the regular member's return to Board attendance.