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Home My WebLink AboutByLaws Fairhope Historic Preservation Commission 01-08-25City of Fairhope Historic Preserva3on Commission Supplemental Rules of Procedure and Bylaws Name and Purpose: The name of the organiza/on shall be the City of Fairhope Historic Preserva/on Commission, abbreviated as FHPC. The purpose of the Commission is to “promote educa/onal, cultural, economic and general welfare of Alabama municipali/es through preserva/on and protec/on of historic resources,” and other goals as outlined in Fairhope City Ordinance no. 1797. Membership and Filling Vacancies: Addi/onal condi/ons and expecta/ons of membership are deﬁned in City Ordinance no. 1797, Sec/on II.B.2-8. As Stated in Sec/on II. B.2-8: Commission Members: Number, Appointment, Terms, Compensa/on and Rules and Standards: 1. The Commission shall be composed of not less than seven (7) members, who shall have demonstrated training or experience in the ﬁelds of history, architecture, architectural history, urban planning, archaeology, law, or related ﬁelds, or who shall have demonstrated an interest in historic preserva/on with training in historic preserva/on. Members of the Commission shall be bona ﬁde residents of the territorial jurisdic/on of the City of Fairhope. Not more than one of the members of the Commission shall be a public oﬃcial, and such public oﬃcial shall meet the experience and residency requirements set forth hereinabove. 2. Members of the Commission shall be nominated by the Mayor and appointed by the City Council. Nomina/on and appointment of members of the Commission shall be made to ensure that the Commission will be composed of persons having as much of the training and experience speciﬁed in sec/on (1) as possible. 3. Except for the original members of the Commission, members of the Commission shall serve three year terms and shall be appointed in such a manner so as to serve overlapping terms. Two of the original members of the Commission shall be appointed to serve a one year term, two of the original members of the Commission shall be appointed to serve a two year term, and the remainder of the original members of the Commission shall be appointed to serve a three year term. Members of the Commission may be reappointed. 4. Members of the Commission shall serve without compensa/on but may be reimbursed for expenses incurred on behalf of the Commission in accordance with the rules and regula/ons for the reimbursement of expenses adopted by the Commission and allowed by law. 5. Any vacancy occurring on the Commission other than by expira/on of term shall be ﬁlled for the unexpired term of such member by the procedures set forth in sec/on 2 above. 6. Conﬂict of Interest. No member shall vote, present, discuss or par/cipate in any ma^er in which the member has a Conﬂict of Interest or in which the member or any family member has any ﬁnancial gain or interest. 7. Members of the Commission may be removed for cause by the City Council, which shall be established in the sole discre/on of the City Council. 8. Members of the Commission shall elect a chairman and a vice chairman and such other oﬃcers as the Commission deems necessary. The Commission shall adopt rules of procedure and bylaws to govern its opera/ons and shall provide a copy of those rules of procedure and bylaws to the City Council. The rules of procedure and bylaws of the Commission shall specify what number of members of the Commission cons/tutes a quorum. The Commission’s rules of procedure and bylaws may be amended from /me to /me by the Commission. To apply, go to h^ps://forms.fairhopeal.gov/Forms/applica/ons_board. Oﬃcers: The Commission shall elect a Chair and Vice Chair at the ﬁrst Commission mee/ng of each ﬁscal year and shall serve for the ﬁscal year. The Secretary shall be a city staﬀ person appointed by the mayor. The Secretary shall prepare a slate of candidates for oﬃcer elec/ons for the top of the agenda for the ﬁrst Commission mee/ng of each ﬁscal year. All oﬃcers must have and maintain ac/ve membership. Du3es of the Chairman: The Chair shall preside at all mee/ngs and shall have the following du/es: A. have general and ac/ve management of the Commission; B.shall have general superintendence and direc/on of all the Commi^ees of the Commission and see that their du/es are properly performed; C.shall submit a report compiled by the Commission for the completed ﬁscal year to the City Council at a City Council Work Session and the Alabama Historic Commission. D. shall be an Ex-oﬃcio member of all standing commi^ees and shall have the power and du/es usually vested in the oﬃce of the commi^ee chair, should the commi^ee chair be absent. Du3es of the Vice Chairman: The Vice Chair shall be vested with all the powers of and shall perform all the du/es of the Chair during the absence of the la^er. The Vice Chair shall assist the Chair in compiling the Annual Report. Du3es of the Secretary: The Secretary appointed by the City of Fairhope shall a^end all mee/ngs of the Commission and all public mee/ngs, and will act as a clerk thereof. The Secretary’s du/es shall consist of: A.Recording all votes and minutes of all proceedings in a public record to be kept for that purpose. B.In concert with the Chair, the secretary shall make the arrangements for all mee/ngs of the Commission. C.Shall assist the Chair with oﬃcial correspondence from the Commission. Mee3ngs of the Commissioners Regular Mee3ngs Regular mee/ngs of the members shall be held monthly, at a /me and place designated by the Chair in consulta/on with other members of the Commission and appointed City Staﬀ. The Commission shall adopt a schedule of all regular mee/ngs for a ﬁscal year at the ﬁrst mee/ng of the Commission each ﬁscal year. The Secretary shall post public no/ces of each regular mee/ng in accordance with Alabama Open Mee/ngs Act, Code of Alabama Title 36: Public Oﬃcers and Employees, Ar/cle 25A. No/ces must go out at least 7 days in advance. Special Mee3ngs Special mee/ngs may be called by the chair or by a simple majority of the commissioners. A pe//on signed by two of the commissioners may also call a special mee/ng. All special mee/ngs seeking ac/on or votes shall meet the Alabama Open Mee/ngs Act, Code of Alabama Title 36: Public Oﬃcers and Employees, Ar/cle 25A: Alabama Open Mee/ngs Act for a public mee/ng. Quorum A quorum for a mee/ng of the Commission shall consist of at least ﬁhy percent (50)% plus one, of the ac/ve membership. Vo3ng All issues to be voted on shall be decided by a simple majority of those present at the mee/ng in which the vote takes place. Robert’s Rules: Robert’s Rules of Order provides guidelines on key diﬀerences and simpliﬁed rules for small groups: A. Informal Discussion: Members can discuss a subject informally without a mo/on being on the ﬂoor. B. Speaking: Members do not need to stand or be recognized by the chair to speak or make mo/ons. C. Chair Par/cipa/on: The chair can par/cipate in debate and vote on all business. D. Debate: There is no limit to the number of /mes a member can speak on a ques/on, and mo/ons to close or limit debate are generally not entertained. Commissioner AIendance Policy This policy is intended to support the full contribu/on of all commissioners. All commissioners receive a copy of this policy. Commissioners are expected to defend regular mee/ng /mes in their personal calendars, and to avoid scheduling other mee/ngs during that /me. Commissioners may occasionally miss a mee/ng due to circumstances beyond their control such as illness, work, travel schedules, jury duty, or holidays. These will generally be considered "excused" absences. In all cases, commissioners are expected to no/fy the Secretary and Chair of mee/ngs they know they will miss. In the event that the commissioner ﬁnds they are unable to par/cipate to the extent necessary, they should consider resigning from the Commission. An AIendance Problem An a^endance problem occurs if the following condi/on exists in a commissioner's a^endance of mee/ngs: a member has unwarranted absence from three regular mee/ngs in a twelve-month period. A warranted absence means the member did make contact in the organiza/on at least a day before the upcoming mee/ng to indicate they would be gone from the mee/ng. Missing a mee/ng without contact a day or more in advance is unwarranted. A member with unwarranted absence from three regular commission mee/ngs in a twelve-month period shall have resigned their appointment from the commission. Amendments These bylaws may be amended by a two-thirds majority of the members. Proposed amendments must be submi^ed to the secretary and included in regular commission announcements.