§ 5.5-31. Purchase of development rights committee established; powers and duties.

(a)

Establishment. The PDR committee is hereby established, as follows:

(1)

The committee shall consist of five (5) members appointed by the board. Each member shall be a property owner in and of Franklin County. The committee should, but is not required to be, comprised of members who are knowledgeable in the fields of conservation, conservation biology, planning, real estate, land appraisal, farming and forestry and may also include members of conservation easement holding agencies and conservation organizations.

(2)

The members of the committee shall serve at the pleasure of the board. The initial terms of the members shall be as follows: two (2) members shall be for one (1) year; two (2) members shall be for two (2) years; and one (1) member shall be for three (3) years. Each term after the initial term shall be for three (3) years.

(3)

The members of the committee shall serve without pay, but the board may, in its discretion, reimburse members for actual and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of his/her duties.

(4)

The committee shall elect a chairman, vice chairman and secretary at its first meeting each calendar year. The secretary need not be a member of the committee.

(5)

The administrator's appointed PDR program administrator shall be an ex officio member of the committee.

(b)

Powers and duties. The PDR committee shall have the powers and duties to:

(1)

Promote the program, in cooperation and under the guidance of the administrator, by providing educational materials to the public and conducting informational meetings.

(2)

Review the ranking of applications recommended by the administrator, and make recommendations to the administrator and the board as to which conservation easements should be purchased.

(3)

Annually review the program's eligibility and ranking criteria and recommend to the administrator any changes needed to maintain the program's consistency with the comprehensive plan, or to improve the administration, implementation and effectiveness of the program.

(4)

A quorum shall consist of three (3) members present and the committee shall operate on a "majority rule" basis.

(Ord. of 9-25-07)

(Ord. of 9-25-07)