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Feb. 9, 2012

EL DORADO HILLS AREA PLANNING ADVISORY COMMITTEE

Operating Guidelines

The EDH Area Planning Advisory Committee (APAC) is associated with the El Dorado Hills Community Council, but is an autonomous committee of that group. APAC is  dedicated to the analysis of policies, development projects, road improvement projects and other miscellaneous projects or issues affecting the EDH area.  Its mission is achieved by: (a) consulting with local agencies, (b) informing residents of development projects and soliciting their comments, (c) using information gained in reviewing projects, and (d) relaying information and conclusions to the applicable District Supervisor, applicable County departments, Zoning Administrator, Planning Commission, Board of Supervisors and local entities as appropriate.

Membership is unlimited and composed of voting and general (non-voting) members.

1.1  APAC shall meet a minimum of once every month, at a time determined by its Executive Board (preferably on the second Wednesday of the month at 7:00 P.M.)

1.2  Agendas of APAC general meetings shall be posted on the EDH APAC website, EDH APAC Social Media outlets, as well as at the meeting site, and submitted to the EDH APAC email list at least 72 hours preceding an APAC general meeting. Agenda copies may also be mailed, faxed or sent via e-mail to public newspapers [i.e. Village Life, Mountain Democrat and the Sacramento Bee (Community Section)] for their consideration of publication.

1.3  A quorum shall be a 1/3 (rounded down to integer) of voting members for making recommendations to the County. In the absence of a quorum, when a project recommendation is due at County before the next APAC general meeting, a preliminary recommendation should be sent to County and followed at the next available general meeting where a quorum is present by an APAC voted recommendation.

1.4  Meetings shall be conducted according to the spirit of Roberts Rules of Order.

1.5  Although not legally bound to do so, it should be the intent of APAC to follow the spirit of the Ralph M. Brown (Gov. Code 54950 et seq.) regarding local boards and commissions.

2.0  Officers

2.1.1.0 General Guidelines

  • APAC officers, who shall be elected from the voting membership of APAC, serve one year, but can serve additional consecutive or nonconsecutive terms.
  • The beginnings of terms for APAC officers will be in Janaury.

2.1.1.3  APAC shall have a Chairperson, a Vice Chairperson(s), and a Secretary/ Treasurer. APAC officers compose the Executive Board, which may meet as deemed necessary and be called into meeting by either the Chairperson or two other Executive Board members.

2.1.1.4  If any officer resigns, a replacement shall be appointed in a timely manner from the APAC voting membership by the remaining Executive Board. Until the Executive Board votes to appoint a replacement, the Chairperson may appoint an  acting replacement for the vacant position, but the  acting replacement shall have no vote on the Executive Board or represent it or APAC in any manner. If the Chairperson resigns, those duties will be temporarily filled by the Vice Chairperson(s) until the Executive Board acts in a timely manner to appoint a replacement, who shall be approved by the voting membership at the next APAC general meeting.

2.1.1.5  An officer may be removed from office by a majority vote of the APAC voting membership.

2.2.  Duties of Officers

2.2.1 The APAC Chairperson shall:

2.2.1.1  Establish the agenda for the APAC general meeting.

2.2.1.2  Conduct the APAC general meeting and limit discussion for recommendation to County to only those items set forth on the posted agenda.

2.2.1.3  Call special meetings of the APAC general membership or of the Executive Board as deemed necessary.

2.2.1.4  Sign official APAC correspondence. If the Chairperson is unavailable for signature, the Vice Chairperson, or the Secretary/Treasurer (in that order) may sign instead to send correspondence in a timely manner. The Chairperson may authorize subcommittee chairpersons to sign official APAC correspondence relating to their subcommittee.

2.2.1.5 Communicate to the District Supervisor the current list of voting members each November.

2.2.1.6 Serve as a voting member of the EDH Community Council, perform the duties of a Community Council member, and act as a liaison between APAC and that council and any of its subcommittees.

2.2.1.7  Call for APAC voting members committee action concerning the implied resignation of an APAC member if that member misses more than four consecutive APAC general meetings or fails to serve on a subcommittee at least once a year.

2.2.1.8  Jointly assign, in agreement with the Vice Chairperson, members to standing Planned Development Project Review Subcommittee, in accordance with Section 7.

2.2.1.9  Appoint a subcommittee of at least two APAC members to nominate the officers for the next year. The nominating committee shall be appointed at least one month before APAC elections.

2.2.1.10  Appoint subcommittees for special projects, as deemed necessary.

2.2.2 The Vice Chairperson(s) shall:

2.2.2.1 Conduct APAC general meetings in the absence of the Chairperson.

2.2.2.2 Create Ad Hoc Project Review Subcommittee for normal project reviews, assign members as necessary in accordance with Section 5 , and appoint a subcommittee chairperson.

2.2.2.3  Jointly assign, in agreement with the Chairperson, members to standing Planned Development Project Review Subcommittee, in accordance with Section 6 .

2.2.2.4  Ensure that each subcommittee has a subcommittee report for the agenda package and transmit that information to the Chairperson.

2.2.2.5  Review the status of participation on subcommittees of the voting APAC membership and make appropriate recommendations  to the Executive Board.

2.2.2.6 Be responsible for receiving and dispersing project applications, FAXs, a copy of the cover letter and application to the Secretary.

2.2.3 The Secretary/Treasurer shall:

2.2.3.1  Assist the Chairperson in performance of the Chair’s duties.

2.2.3.2  Assure finalization, duplication and mailing of the agenda packages, and posting of the agenda.

2.2.3.3 Keep records of postage and mailing monies, and purchase needed supplies and postage for mailing agendas.

2.2.3.4  Maintain the agenda mailing list.

2.2.3.5  In connection with meetings: (a) record votes and (b) take attendance.

2.2.3.6  Maintain APAC Read File including the final APAC letter,  and data sheet.

3.0  APAC Composition

3.1  Voting members shall:

3.1.2  Be a resident of the El Dorado Hills planning area.

3.1.3  Participate in at least one Ad Hoc Project Review Subcommittee or Planned Development Project Review Subcommittee, as determined by the number of active project reviews in a given year.

3.1.4  Attend APAC general meetings on a regular basis, so that an absence of over four consecutive such meetings shall constitute a basis for removal as a voting member, including duties involving any Planned Development Project Review Subcommittee(s).

3.1.5 Abstain from voting in any case in which they feel they have a conflict of interest. Voting members who are uncertain whether they have a conflict of interest should bring the situation to the attention of the Chairperson, who shall query the Executive Board for their opinions.

3.1.6 Represent only themselves when casting votes.

3.2  Appointment to APAC Voting Membership   

3.2.1  Interested people may apply for voting APAC membership when the following criteria are met:

3.2.2  Attend  four out of five consecutive APAC general meetings. It is the responsibility of the applicant to sign the attendance roster of each meeting and to notify the Chairperson or Secretary/Treasurer of the desire to be appointed to APAC membership.

3.2.3  Serve on at least one Ad Hoc Project Review Subcommittee or Planned Development Project Review Subcommittee. Service on a specialized APAC project may be substituted, at the discretion of the Executive Board. It is the responsibility of the applicant to notify the Chairperson or Vice Chairperson of the desire to be assigned to a review project.

  • The APAC Chairperson shall have the Secretary Treasurer update the voting members list with new member(s) and send the updated list to applicable district supervisors. communicate the eligibility of applicants for after a prospective voting member meets the criteria outlined in Section 3.2 and notifies the chairperson of their desire to become a voting member.

 

3.3  Removal of Voting Members      

3.3.1  An absence from over four consecutive APAC general meetings shall constitute a basis for removal as a voting member, including duties involving any Planned Development Project Review Subcommittee(s).

4.2  General (Non-Voting) members shall:   

4.2.1  Participate in APAC general meeting discussions.

4.2.2  Participate in project review subcommittees, as assigned, where they shall vote as a member of the review subcommittee on whether to recommend project support to the APAC committee as a whole.

4.2.3  If they desire, be considered for appointment as a voting member, once they have met all criteria for such appointment outlined in Section  3.2. Such requests for appointment shall be made by the Chairperson as soon as reasonably possible after a prospective voting member meets the criteria outlined in Section  3.2 and notifies the chairperson of their desire to become a voting member.

  1. Ad Hoc Project Review Subcommittees, as temporary subcommittees of APAC, shall be created to review normal development projects and make recommendations concerning those projects to the APAC committee as a whole.

5.1  Ad Hoc Subcommittee Composition

5.1.1  At least one APAC voting member.

5.1.2  At least one additonal voting or general APAC member or interested resident. However, the number of subcommittee members who are not voting APAC members shall not exceed the subcommittee number of voting APAC members.

5.2  Ad Hoc Subcommittee Appointments

5.2.1  A subcommittee chairperson shall be appointed by the Vice Chairperson from the voting APAC members. The duty of the subcommittee chairperson shall be to inform other subcommittee members, schedule meetings, serve as a liaison between the developer and APAC as a whole, and control the subcommittee functions as required, in accordance with Section 7.

5.2.2 Vice Chairperson assigns members to Ad Hoc Project Review Subcommittees

5.2.1 Should preferably make such assignment on a fair and impartial basis.

5.2.2  Should attempt to ensure that the majority of membership on a subcommittee does not reside in the immediate area of the project, to promote an objective review.

5.2.3  Should attempt to ensure that local residential interests are addressed during assignments to the subcommittee.

  1. Planned Development Project Review Subcommittees, as standing subcommittees of APAC, may be created to follow the sequential development of all phases or components of a planned development project. They shall operate indefinitely as subcommittees for project review with all the functions and responsibilities thereof for their planned development projects.

 Their purpose shall be to: (a) monitor and review such projects during their developmental history, (b) promote consistency in project planning, and (c) provide an efficient means of understanding, retaining and transmitting that information for the duration of the project.

6.1 Planned Development Project Review Subcommittee Composition

6.1.1  Planned Development Project Review Subcommittee shall be composed of not less than three, nor more than five APAC voting members, as “permanent subcommittee members who shall serve for the duration of the project.

6.1.2 The subcommittee chairperson shall be selected from the permaent subcommittee members. There chairperson acts as an efficient contact for information about the project  The duty of the subcommittee chairperson shall be to inform other subcommittee members, schedule meetings, serve as a liaison between the developer and APAC as a whole, and control the subcommittee functions as required in accordance with Section 7. Normally the subcommittee chair position should not rotate among permanent subcommittee members.

6.1.3  Any member of a Planned Development Project Review Subcommittee may resign or be removed by the APAC Executive Board if they fail to meet the requirements for continuing voting membership in APAC.

6.2.0  The Chairperson and Vice Chairperson, in agreement, shall jointly assign members to Planned Development Project Review Subcommittees. When disagreement occurs between these officers, the Secretary/Treasurer shall assist in resolving the disputed assignment.

6.3.0 When a newly proposed planned development application significantly affects existing, adjacent planned development projects, the subcommittees for the existing projects may jointly review the proposed project.

7.0  Subcommittee Procedures           

  • The subcommittee chairperson shall discuss with the Vice Chairperson, the date by which the review report must be finished. If the application is not received at least two weeks prior to the next APAC general meeting, preliminary subcommittee remarks may be submitted to the county planner and a final subcommittee report shall be presented at the APAC general meeting the following month.

If a preliminary letter  is required, the subcommittee chairperson should advise the county planner: (a) of the time line problem involved; (b) that the preliminary report is tentative, and subject to change  when the full APAC committee vote will takes place.

7.2  Liaison with County or local agencies or groups, if relevant for the project application (site), shall include, but not be limited to the (a) county planner assigned to the project, (b) applicant, (c) County Dept. of Transportation; and, if  applicable (d) fire dept., (e) CSD, (f) architectural control committee or design review committee, and (g) resident’s group or homeowner’s association.

7.3  When the details of a project are known, the subcommittee chair or designee should advise the neighboring residents to a project site about the project application. If enough interest or concerns are expressed by residents that neighbor the project, the subcommittee should arrange a meeting.

7.4  A subcommittee meeting should be called to create the project application report (draft letter). The report shall be submitted to the Vice Chairperson or the Secretary by the first Wednesday of the month (or at least one week prior to the APAC general meeting), so that it can be incorporated into the agenda.

7.5  The subcommittee chairperson, or designee, will present the recommendation of the subcommittee at the appropriate APAC general meeting. The subcommittee chairman or designee shall inform the project applicant of the scheduling of the report and, if appropriate, may ask the applicant to make a presentation of the project at the APAC general meeting. The subcommittee chairperson or designee shall inform the Vice Chairperson of any such presentations.

7.6  After the APAC general meeting and project vote, the subcommittee chairperson, or designee, shall amend the draft recommendation letter to include: (a) a majority report; (b) a minority report (if any) that states disagreement with the majority report, or alternatively a statement that no minority report exists/. After review of the  final draft letter, the APAC Chairperson signs the letter or may authorize the Subcommittee Chairperson to sign the final recommendation letter.

7.7  After the final letter is signed by the APAC Chairperson or authorized subcommittee chairperson, the authorized subcommittee chairman shall mail, fax or e-mail a copy of that letter to the appropriate county planner. Additional copies are sent to the appropriate Supervisor, APAC Chairperson, APAC Vice Chairperson, EDH Community Council, the APAC Read File, and the EDH/CSD and  Architectural Control Committee (as applicable). The APAC Secretary shall file (archive) one copy. Completed subcommittee reports should be sent within two weeks, but preferably as soon as possible.

  • The APAC Chairperson, the subcommittee chairperson, or person designated by the Chairperson   may attend the Technical Advisory Committee meeting and  the applicable Zoning Administrator, Planning Commission and/or Board of Supervisors public hearings for the project to provide any additonal information required.

No other APAC member, resident, or group shall represent APAC without the specific authorization of the APAC Chairperson. [If any APAC voting members who support a minority opinion of a recommendation desire, they shall be permitted, after designation by the APAC Chairperson, to address the above groups to represent their view, which they will clearly indicate is an APAC minority opinion.]

 

8.0  Guideline Amendment Procedure      

8.1  These Operating Guidelines may be amended at any APAC general meeting by a majority vote of the EDH APAC voting members, provided such potential amendment is disclosed as an item on the agenda for that given meeting. Interest in potential action towards guideline amendment(s) shall be advanced and seconded as a motion for inclusion on the agenda of the next APAC general meeting.