§ 2-1157. Membership.

A.

Qualifications.

1.

Members of the Planning Commission shall be permanent residents and qualified electors of Collier County.

2.

With respect to the five County Commission District members, although no specific experience requirements shall be necessary as a prerequisite to appointment, consideration shall be given to applicants who have experience or who have shown interest in the area of planning, zoning, and related fields. Further consideration in the appointment of Planning Commission members shall be made so as to provide the Planning Commission with the needed technical, professional, business, and/or administrative expertise to accomplish the duties and functions of the Planning Commission.

3.

The two at-large environmental members are expected to provide the Planning Commission with technical expertise on environmental matters, and shall demonstrate evidence of expertise in 1 or more of the following areas related to environmental protection and natural resources management: air quality, biology (including any of the subdisciplines such as botany, ecology, zoology, etc.), coastal processes, estuarine processes, hazardous waste, hydrogeology, hydrology, hydraulics, land use law, land use planning, pollution control, solid waste, stormwater management, water resources, wildlife management, or other representative area deemed appropriate by the BCC, with a Board preference for one of these members with an expertise in biology and/or wildlife management, and the other with an expertise in water and/or hydrology.

4.

The appointment of all members to the Planning Commission shall be by resolution of the BCC. In the event that any member is no longer a qualified elector or is convicted of a felony or an offense involving moral turpitude while in office, the BCC shall terminate the appointment of such person as a member of the Planning Commission.

5.

A representative of the school district, appointed by the school board, shall serve as a non-voting member of the Planning Commission unless the BCC grants voting status to the school district representative. The school district member of the Planning Commission shall attend those Planning Commission meetings at which GMP amendments and rezoning that would, if approved, increase residential density of the property that is the subject of the application being considered.

B.

Appointment. The Planning Commission shall be composed of 7 members to be appointed by the BCC, together with the representative of the school district. Of these seven members, there shall be one member from each of the five County Commission Districts, and two at-large environmental members. Planning Commission Candidates for the five County Commission District seats must be nominated by the Commissioner of the District in which the candidate resides for both initial and subsequent terms and receive a simple majority vote of the Board of County Commissioners. The two at large members can be nominated by any Commissioner, but must receive a four-fifths vote of the BCC for appointment or reappointment.

C.

Term. Terms of office of Planning Commission members shall be for not less than two nor more than four years and not more than a minority of such members' terms shall expire in any one year. Appointments to fill any vacancy on the Planning Commission shall be for the remainder of the unexpired term of office. No meetings of a Planning Commission shall be held when the membership is less than five.

D.

Removal from office.

1.

Any member of the Planning Commission may be removed from office by a four- fifths vote of the BCC, but such member shall be entitled to a public hearing and reconsideration of the vote if he so requests in writing within 30 days of the date on which the vote is taken.

2.

If any member of the Planning Commission fails to attend 2 consecutive Planning Commission meetings without cause, the Planning Commission shall declare the member's office vacant and the vacancy shall be filled by the BCC.

E.

Officers. The membership of the Planning Commission shall elect a chairman and vice-chairman from among the members. Officers' terms shall be for 1 year, with eligibility for reelection.

(Ord. No. 2009-29, § 1; Ord. No. 2009-35, § 1; Ord. No. 2013-50, § 1)