City Boards

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•  Planning and Zoning Commission

Kathy Merritt – Chairman/President

Tamika Stimpson-Renfro – Board Member

Angela Smith – Board Member

Tony Runnels, Sr. – Board Member

Bridget Gilder – Board Member

Harvey Crysel – Board Member

The City Council shall appoint a City Planning Commission consisting of six members who shall be residents of the City of Silsbee, shall serve without compensation, and shall not hold any other position in the city government.

(a) Term of Office : Of the six members first appointed, three shall be appointed to serve one year and three to serve two years. Thereafter, three members shall be appointed within thirty days after each regular city election to serve a term of two years.

(b) Rules of procedure: The commission shall elect, annually, one of its number chairman, and shall establish its own rules of procedure which shall include the following: A quorum shall consist of a majority of the members of the commission and an affirmative vote of a majority of those present shall be necessary to pass upon pending questions, the chairman being entitled to vote upon any question. All meetings shall be open to the public and a record of all proceedings shall be kept, which record shall be filed by the person performing the duties of the City Secretary and shall be a public record.

(c) Vacancies: Membership on the Planning Commission shall be accompanied by active participation in the activities of the commission, and any member who is absent from three consecutive meetings of the commission without valid excuse, as determined by the commission, shall automatically be dismissed from membership. The commission shall at once notify the City Council that a vacancy in the Planning Commission exists. Vacancies occurring in the Commission, for whatever reason, shall be filled within thirty days by appointment by the City Council for the remainder of the unexpired term.

(d) Powers and duties : The commission shall have the power and shall be required to:

(1) Make, amend, extend and add to the master plan for the physical development of the city.

(2) Approve or disapprove plats of proposed subdivisions submitted in accordance with section 8.01 of the charter. In considering such plats, the planning commission shall require that the proposed subdivisions shall meet, so far as is practicable, all the standards of layout and street and sidewalk construction on comparable property within corporate limits of the City of Silsbee, and shall further require that restrictions be placed on the use of the property which are consistent with restrictions on comparable property within the City of Silsbee. Upon approving such plats, and before they are released for recording, the Planning Commission shall submit all copies of the approved plats to the City Council for inspection.

(3) Draft, and recommend to the City Council for adoption, an official map of the city and recommend or disapprove proposed changes in such map.

(4) Make, and recommend to the City Council for adoption, a zoning plan and recommend or disapprove proposed changes in such plan.

(5) Make, and recommend to the City Council for adoption, plans for the clearance and rebuilding of slum districts and blighted areas which may develop within the city.

(6) Compile, and recommend to the City council for adoption, a building code, which code shall include the minimum standards for plumbing, and the minimum standards for wiring.

(7) Submit annually to the City Manager, not less than ninety days prior to the beginning of the budget year a list of recommendations for capital improvements which, in the opinion of the commission, are necessary or desirable to be constructed during the forthcoming five years. Such list shall be arranged in order of preference, with recommendations as to which projects shall be constructed in each year.

(8). Meet not less than once each month; meetings to be held at the City Hall unless prior notice of change of meeting place be given by publication in a newspaper in general circulation in the City of Silsbee.

(9) Perform such other duties and be vested with such other powers as the City Council shall from time to time prescribe.

(e) Liaison with City Council: The City Manager or his representative shall attend the meetings of the Planning Commission and shall serve as liaison between the Planning Commission and the City Council.

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•  Zoning Board of Adjustments and Appeals

Don Muckleroy – Chairman/President

Robert Smith- Board Member

Susan Kilchriest- Board Member

Fred Arline – Board Member

Eric Foster – Board Member

The City Council shall appoint a Zoning Board of Adjustment of five members who shall be citizens of the City of Silsbee, shall be appointed to serve for a term of two years, shall adopt rules in accordance with the Zoning Ordinance of the City, shall select one of their number chairman and shall meet at the call of said chairman and at such other times as the board may determine. All meetings of such board shall be open to the public and minutes shall be kept of all proceedings, showing the vote of each member present upon every question. The board shall have all powers granted in articles 1011a through 1011j of the Revised Civil Statutes of the State of Texas as now or hereafter amended, which shall include the power to hear and determine appeals from refusal of building permits, and to permit exceptions to or variations from the zoning regulations in classes of cases or situations in accordance with the principles, conditions and procedure specified in the zoning ordinance. Of the number first appointed to the Zoning Board of Adjustment, three members shall be appointed to serve one year and two to serve two years. Thereafter three members shall be appointed in each even-numbered year, and two members shall be appointed in each odd-numbered year.

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· Parks and Recreation Board

The Parks and Recreation Board is an essential service, one that can positively impact health, crime prevention, the environment, the economy, and the quality of life in any community. Here is just a sampling of the benefits a strong commitment to Parks and Recreation will provide:

•  Physical recreation and fitness contributes to a full and meaningful life.

•  Investing in the environment, through parks and the provision of open space in residential areas, leads to an increase in neighborhood property values through accessibility to environmentally friendly green spaces and associated recreation opportunities.

•  Children’s play is essential to the human development process.

•  Regular physical activity is one of the very best methods of health insurance for individuals.

•  Parks and open spaces bring beauty to an area while giving people satisfaction and improving their quality of life.

•  Contributions to environmental protection through the provision of parks and open spaces pay for themselves.

•  Integrated and accessible leisure services are critical to the quality of life of people with a disability and of disadvantaged individuals.

•  Leisure provides leadership opportunities that build strong communities.

•  Community recreation promotes ethnic and cultural harmony.

•  Recreation together builds strong families, the foundation of a stronger society.

•  Investments in recreation yield big economic returns.

•  Meaningful leisure services reduce the high cost of vandalism and criminal activity.

•  Recreation and park services are often the catalyst for tourism, a growing sector of our economy.

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Silsbee Economic Development Corporation Board

Under direction of Silsbee City Council