Arts, planning commissioners appointed; some vacancies left

Two board positions remain unfilled after Citrus Heights city council members voted to fill 11 of 13 vacancies on several City boards and commissions during last week’s council meeting.

Vacancies for the positions were created after 13 terms expired at the end of 2014 on the City’s Construction Appeals Board, Planning Commission and History & Arts Commission, with new appointees serving terms ranging from two to four years in length.

A lack of applicants for the City’s Construction Appeals Board left council members with only one choice to pick, while selections for the two other commissions were a bit more competitive.

Planning Commission:
City council members re-appointed Al Fox, Leah Cox, Trish Dawson and Michael Lagomarsino to the Planning Commission, as well as unanimously ratifying council member Jeanie Bruins’ nomination of newcomer Russell Blair to take the fifth open spot on the commission. The remaining three applicants — Simon Levison, Matthew Gross and Matt Hedges — did not receive enough votes to serve another term.

The seven-member Planning Commission meets twice a month and hears land-use related projects and “reviews proposed ordinances and other issues relating to the implementation of the City’s General Plan,” according to the City’s website. The commission also makes recommendations to the city council, as it did with the city hall relocation proposal.

History & Arts Commission:
Bob Gerould, Jessica Mang and Jackie Robinson were all unanimously ratified by city council members to serve four-year terms on the seven-member History and Arts Commission, with a majority also selecting Larry Fritz and Evie Turner to serve two-year terms. The meeting agenda showed Levison also applied for this position, but did not receive any votes from council members.

The History and Arts Commission works to promote cultural arts in Citrus Heights as well as assisting “in the preservation and enhancement of historical buildings and artifacts.”

<<See prior story here: Council to appoint 13 board positions in January>>

Construction Appeals Board:
The council unanimously appointed Franklin Tilley to the Construction Appeals Board, with City Clerk Amy Van telling the council that although there were three open positions, Tilley’s application was the only one received. She said the City would continue receiving applications to fill the spots, and council member Miller requested staff look into the possibility of working with other cities to create a regional appeals board, citing the board’s infrequent meetings and the past difficulty the City has had in finding appointments.

The five-member Construction Board of Appeals meets on an “as-needed” basis to hear complaints from those aggrieved by a decision of the City’s chief building official, and “assists in determining suitability of materials and methods of construction, as well as interpreting technical codes.” Applicants for the board must be “qualified by experience and training to pass upon matters pertaining to building construction.”

An application form for the Construction Board of Appeals is available here: http://www.citrusheights.net/DocumentCenter/View/72