HomeMy WebLinkAbout15530 1 RESOLUTION NO. 15,530
2
3 A RESOLUTION TO APPROVE THE AMENDED BYLAWS OF THE
4 LITTLE ROCK LAND BANK COMMISSION; AND FOR OTHER
5 PURPOSES.
6
7 WHEREAS, the City of Little Rock created the Little Rock Land Bank Commission (the
8 "Commission")with the enactment of Little Rock Ordinance No. 19,911 on January 15,2008; and,
9 WHEREAS,the Commission was required to draft Bylaws which would be effective upon approval
10 by the Board of Directors;and,
11 WHEREAS,the Board of Directors approved the initial Bylaws on August 4,2008, by Resolution No.
12 12,728;and,
13 WHEREAS,the Commission has recently amended its Bylaws and requires the approval of the Board
14 of Directors before they are effective.
15 NOW, THEREFORE,BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE CITY
16 OF LITTLE ROCK,ARKANSAS.
17 Section 1. The Board of Directors hereby approves the attached Bylaws, labeled Exhibit A, as
18 amended for the Little Rock Land Bank Commission.
19 Section 2. Severability. In the event any title, section, paragraph, item, sentence, clause, phrase, or
20 word of this ordinance is declared or adjudged to be invalid or unconstitutional, such declaration or
21 adjudication shall not affect the remaining portions of the ordinance which shall remain in full force and
22 effect as if the portion so declared or adjudged invalid or unconstitutional was not originally a part of the
23 ordinance.
24 Section 3. Repealer. All laws,ordinances,resolutions,or parts of the same that are inconsistent with
25 the provisions of this ordinance are hereby repealed to the extent of such inconsistency.
26 ADOPTED: September 7,2021
27 ATTES • APPROVED:
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30 ' .711977,City Clerk Frank Scott Ja or
31 AP' 'O ILI 0 LEGAL FORM:
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34 Thomas M. Carpenter, ty Atto
35
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1 Exhibit A
2
3 BYLAWS FOR THE LITTLE ROCK LAND BANK COMMISSION
4
5 ARTICLE I.
6 NAME.
7 The name of this organization shall be the Little Rock Land Bank Commission(the"Commission").
8 ARTICLE II.
9 PURPOSE.
10 The purpose of the Commission is to reverse urban blight, increase home ownership and stability of
11 property values,provide affordable housing, improve the health and safety of the neighborhoods within the
12 City of Little Rock,Arkansas(the"City"),and maintain the architectural fabric of the community.
13 ARTICLE III.
14 MEMBERSHIP.
15 Section 1. The Commission shall consist of eleven(11)persons to be appointed by the Mayor,subject
16 to the confirmation by the City Board of Directors. The Commissioners shall hold the qualifications
17 prescribed in the ordinance which created the Commission, Little Rock Ordinance ("LRO")No. 19, 911,
18 §12(January 15,2008),as amended by LRO No. 20,245 (April 6,2010).
19 Section 2. The Commissioners shall have terms of four(4) years. A Commissioner shall serve until
20 his or her successor is selected. Commissioners shall be limited to the number of consecutive terms that
21 can be served as set forth in City Ordinances, resolutions or policy statements.
22 Section 3. Vacancies shall be filled by the Mayor, subject to confirmation by the City Board of
23 Directors.
24 Section 4. Pursuant to Little Rock, Ark., Rev. Code ("LRC) §2-262 (c), when a member of the
25 Commission has missed more than 25%of all regular meetings in one(1)calendar year,or more than three
26 (3)consecutive regularly scheduled meetings,the Commissioner is automatically removed from his or her
27 position. If,prior to the next scheduled meeting of the City Board of Directors,the Commissioner submits
28 in writing his or her desire to remain on the Commission,the City Board of Directors,by a majority vote,
29 shall allow the member to continue to serve.
30 ARTICLE IV.
31 MEETINGS.
32 Section 1. Regular meetings of the Commission shall be held on the third Wednesday of every month
33 at 11:30 AM, at the Willie L. Hinton Neighborhood Resource Center, 3805 West 12th Street, Little Rock,
34 Arkansas, 72204,or such other place or time as designated by the Chair of the Commission.
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1 Section 2. Special meetings of the Commission may be called by the Chair, or in the absence of the
2 chair, by the Vice-Chair, or upon written request of five (5)or more Commissioners. Notice of a special
3 meeting shall be given as prescribed by the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act("FOIA").
4 Section 3. A quorum required for the transaction of business shall be defined as a simple majority of
5 the existing members of the Commission. The affirmative vote of a majority of the members present at a
6 meeting shall be necessary for any action taken. No vacancy in the membership of the Commission shall
7 impair the right of the quorum to exercise all the rights and duties of the Commission. All meetings of the
8 Commission shall be conducted according to the latest revision of Robert's Rules of Order Informal
9 Procedure for Small Boards.
10 Section 4. An agenda for each regularly scheduled meeting and the minutes of the last meeting shall
11 be sent to each Commission member in advance of the meeting. The Chair shall approve the agenda for
12 each meeting and additional items may be proposed by any member of the Commission. The agenda shall
13 consist of the following topics:
14 (a) Roll Call;and,
15 (b) Finding of a quorum; and,
16 (c) Approval of minutes of previous meeting; and,
17 (d) Citizen Communication (limited to three (3) minutes per person, with a maximum of
18 twenty-one(21)minutes allowed for Citizen Communication; and,
19 (e) Old Business; and,
20 (f) New Business; and,
21 (g) Adjournment.
22 Section 5. The Commission shall act as a body in making its decisions and announcing them. No
23 Member other than the Chair shall speak or act for the Commission without prior authorization.
24 Section 6. All meetings of the Commission shall be open to the public, and notice of these meetings
25 shall be provided in compliance with FOIA.
26 Section 7. A record of the proceedings of the Commission shall be maintained.
27 ARTICLE V.
28 OFFICERS.
29 Section 1. The officers of the Commission shall consist of a Chair,V ice-Chair,and Secretary. The
30 Chair and Vice-Chair shall be elected by the Commission. The Secretary shall be the City Manager or his
31 designated representative who shall serve in an ex-officio capacity.
32 Section 2. Terms of officers shall be for one(1)year and officers may succeed themselves.
33 Section 3.The duties of the officers shall be as follows:
34 CHAIR. The Chair shall preside over all meetings and is responsible for establishing the
35 monthly meeting agenda. The Chair shall have the authority to call special meetings provided the
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1 proper notices are given. The Chair shall appoint the members of all committees and is considered
2 an Ex-Officio Member of all committees. The Chair shall sign all approved minutes and, when
3 authorized,other documents on behalf of the Commission.
4 VICE-CHAIR. In the event of the absence of the Chair, the Vice-Chair shall assume the
5 duties of the Chair.
6 SECRETARY. The Secretary shall keep accurate records of all proceedings of the
7 Commission. Minutes of all Commission meetings shall be promptly recorded and maintained and
8 shall be open for public inspection. The Secretary shall keep an accurate record of attendance.
9 The Secretary shall also be responsible for:
10 (1) Preparing routine correspondence; and,
11 (2) Maintaining the files of the Commission; and,
12 (3) Keeping track of the current membership of the Commission and the terms of office
13 the individual members; and,
14 (4)Maintaining a record of the organization of the Commission and its staff;and,
15 (5)At the direction of the Chair, prepare the agenda of items to be considered at meetings of
16 the Commission; and,
17 (6)Attesting documents of the Commission.
18 ARTICLE VI.
19 DUTIES AND POWERS.
20 The Commission shall have all the duties, powers, and authority provided in LRO No. 19,911 as
21 amended.
22 ARTICLE VII.
23 COMMITTEES.
24 The Commission may establish standing and special committees as deemed necessary and appropriate.
25 Standing committees shall be composed of two(2)or more Commissioners, but less than a quorum of the
26 full commission,and shall hold membership for one(1)year or until succeeded. Special committees shall
27 be dissolved when the particular function with which the special committee was charged has been
28 completed.No special committee shall exist for period of more than twelve(12)consecutive months,except
29 by the direction of the full Commission. The Chair also has the discretion to create subcommittees to assist
30 standing and special committees with special projects or functions. The subcommittees would consist of
31 private citizens appointed by the Chair, with the advice and counsel of the full Commission, who are
32 determined to possess expertise in an area that would be of benefit to a standing or special committee.
33 These subcommittees shall be dissolved upon completion of their work, as determined by the Chair, with
34 the advice and counsel of the full Commission. All committees are advisory in nature and do not have the
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1 authority to make final decisions on Commission policy regarding any Commission business. Such
2 decisions are reserved for the Commission itself and must be considered at a regular or special meeting.
3 ARTICLE VIII.
4 LAND BANK REDEVOLPMENT PLAN.
5 As required by LRO No. 19,911,the Commission hereby adopts its Land Bank Redevelopment Plan:
6 The Commission shall focus its limited resources on those target areas of the City that show significant
7 signs of decline with the objective of achieving a concentration of revitalization and stabilized or improved
8 property values that will spur private investment in surrounding areas. Signs of decline could be, for
9 example, the highest concentrations of vacant structures,the most criminal activity, highest poverty rates,
10 the least owner occupied housing or the least capacity for self-revitalization.
11 In the selected target areas the Commission may:
12 (1) Seek to acquire individual or contiguous groups of properties, strategically located in
13 the general vicinity of established public or private institutions;and,
14 (2)Attempt to clear title on all parcels it acquires;and,
15 (3)With respect to its parcels and the surrounding neighborhoods,advocate for actions that
16 will help stabilize or enhance property values, such as seeking an affordable method
17 for clearing titles on parcels owned by others; requesting that City Directors and
18 departments demolish unsafe and vacant structures, make street repairs as well as
19 sidewalk and drainage improvements; concentrate code enforcement; concentrate
20 Federal Community Development Block Grants(CDBG)and HOME Funds; and,
21 (4)Offer its parcels individually or in groups as it may determine is in the best interests of
22 the neighborhood and in a manner consistent with LRO No. 19,911, as amended.
23 ARTICLE IX.
24 AMENDMENT OF BYLAWS.
25 These bylaws may be amended at any regular business meeting of the Commission by a two-thirds vote
26 of the entire membership of the Commission,provided the amendment has been submitted in writing at the
27 previous regular business meeting,and shall become effective when approved by the Little Rock Board of
28 Directors.
29 ATTEST:
30
31 Secretary: Chair:
32
33 Approved this day of ,2021, by the Little Rock Land Bank Commission
34
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