There is hereby created a Commission to be known as the Village of Haverstraw Historic Preservation Commission ("Commission").
A. 
Membership: The Commission shall consist of five members.
B. 
Appointments: Members of the Commission shall be appointed by the Village Board of Trustees. No person appointed to the Commission can also serve as a member of the Village Board of Trustees establishing the Commission.
C. 
Term of office: The terms for all members of the Commission shall be staggered and fixed so that the term of one member shall expire at the end of the calendar year in which all such Commission members were initially appointed. The terms of the remaining members shall be so fixed that one term shall expire at the end of each calendar year thereafter. At the expiration of the term of each member first appointed, his or her successor shall be appointed for a term which shall be equal in years to the number of members of the Commission.
D. 
Qualifications: To the extent of availability in the community, consideration should be given to balancing representation on the Commission so as to include such expertise as an architect or architectural historian, a historian, a person familiar with local history, a licensed real estate broker, construction contractor or tradesman, and a professional in the field of land use including attorneys, architects, planners, and surveyors. All members must demonstrate a significant interest, competence or knowledge in and commitment to the field of historic preservation.
E. 
Vacancies: Vacancies occurring in the Commission other than by expiration of term of office shall be filled by appointment of the Village Board of Trustees. Any such appointment shall be for the unexpired portion of the term of the replaced member, and the appointment must be made in accordance with the criteria established above for original appointments.
F. 
Reappointment: Members may serve for no more than a maximum of two full three-year terms before stepping down from the Commission. A previous appointee may be reappointed after a two-year hiatus from the Commission. Each member shall serve until the appointment of a successor, or until they serve two consecutive three year terms. The term limits imposed by this subdivision may be waived or modified by local law of the Village Board upon recommendation of the Commission when, in the judgment of the governing board, it is in the best interest to do so.
G. 
Compensation: Members shall serve without compensation.
H. 
Training and attendance requirements:
(1) 
Each member of the Commission shall complete, at a minimum, four hours of training each year designed to enable such members to more effectively carry out their duties. Training received by a member in excess of four hours in any one year may be carried over by the member into succeeding years in order to meet this requirement. Such training shall be approved by the Village Board of Trustees and may include, but not be limited to, training provided by a municipality, regional or county planning office or Commission, county planning federation, state agency, statewide municipal association, college or other similar entity. Training may be provided in a variety of formats, including but not limited to, electronic media, video, distance learning and traditional classroom training.
(2) 
To be eligible for reappointment to the Commission, a member shall have completed the training approved by the Village Board.
(3) 
The training may be waived or modified by resolution of the governing board when, in the judgment of the Village Board, it is in the best interest to do so.
(4) 
No decision of a Commission shall be voided or declared invalid because of a failure to comply with this subdivision.
A. 
Chairperson; designation and duties. The Village Board of Trustees may designate the chairperson of the Commission. In the absence of the governing board's designation, the chairperson of the Commission shall be designated by vote of an affirmative majority of the members of the Commission.
(1) 
The chairperson shall have the right to vote in all matters before the Commission.
(2) 
All meetings of the Commission shall be held at the call of the chairperson and at such other times as the Commission may determine by affirmative vote. Such chairperson, or in his or her absence, the acting chairperson, may administer oaths and compel the attendance of witnesses.
B. 
Secretary: The Village Board of Trustees shall appoint a secretary to serve as secretary to the Commission. At the time of service, the secretary shall not also serve as member of the Commission. The secretary shall keep a record of all resolutions, proceedings, and actions of the Commission, as well as attendance of Commission members.
C. 
Quorum: A simple majority of the Commission members shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. An affirmative majority vote of the full Commission is required to approve any resolution, motion or other matter before the Commission.
A. 
Records: The Commission shall be subject to the provisions of the Public Officers Law, including Article 7 related to the Open Meetings Law. The Commission records shall be readily available to the public. The vote or failure to vote of each Commission member shall be recorded. If any Commission member abstains from voting based on a conflict of interest or otherwise, the member must also state his or her reason(s) or ground(s) for doing so on the record.
B. 
Annual reports: The Commission shall submit an annual report of its activities to the Town Supervisor or Mayor and each member of the Village Board of Trustees and make such recommendations to the governing board as the Commission deems necessary to carry out the purposes of this chapter.
A. 
Regulations: The Commission may recommend to the Village Board of Trustees regulations relating to any subject matter over which the Commission has jurisdiction under this chapter. Any such recommendation may be adopted by local law of the Village Board of Trustees.
B. 
Bylaws; meetings: The Commission may approve bylaws that are consistent with the regulations adopted by the Village Board of Trustees. Such bylaws shall provide for the time and place of holding regular meetings; and may provide for the calling of special meetings by the chairperson or by written request of at least two members of the Commission. Regular meetings shall be held at least once a month. All regular or special meetings of the Commission shall be consistent with the notice provisions of the New York Open Meetings Law and shall be open to the public.
The Commission may, in its bylaws, establish permanent or ad hoc committees consisting of no less than three current members of the Commission for assignments assigned to it by the full Commission.