The following boards and committees are hereby established in fulfillment of the goals of the planning ordinance:

Planning Board

Board of Adjustment

Technical Review Committee

All boards and committees shall follow the rules of procedure outlined in Suggested Rules of Procedure for Small Local Government Boards, published by the Institute of Government, as amended by the City Council.

(TA2019.01, passed 05/06/2019)

Effective on: 5/6/2019

19.5 MEETINGS, HEARINGS AND PROCEDURES OF ALL BOARDS AND COMMITTEES

All meetings and hearings shall be open to the public and shall be conducted in accordance with the procedure set forth in these regulations and rules of procedure adopted by said boards and committees. Such rules of procedures may be amended by the respective board or committee membership.

Any rules of procedure adopted by any board or committee shall be kept on file at the offices of the Planning Director and shall be made available to the public at any meeting or hearing.

(TA2019.01, passed 05/06/2019)

Effective on: 5/6/2019

The Planning Director or his/her designee shall serve as staff to the Planning Board, Technical Review Committee, and other committees as appointed.

(TA2019.01, passed 05/06/2019)

Effective on: 5/6/2019

Any member of a board or committee who attends less than 75% of the regular and special meetings held by the board during any one year period may be removed from the board. Vacancies resulting from a member’s failure to attend the required number of meetings shall be filled as provided herein. The Chairman of the board or committee shall notify the City Clerk if a member is absent 25% of the meetings, and a new appointment may be made by the City Council or Gaston County Board of Commissioners to fill that vacancy.

(TA2019.01, passed 05/06/2019)

Effective on: 5/6/2019

The establishment of the Planning Board for the City of Belmont is granted under the authority of G.S. 160D-301. The Planning Board shall have the following duties and responsibilities:

1. A.
   To review and make a recommendation on all legislative actions, including conventional and conditional rezonings and text amendments.
2. B.
   To render opinions and make recommendations on all issues and petitions related to the Code and other land use plans which may be adopted from time to time which require approval by the City Council.

(TA2021.04, passed 07/06/2021; TA2022.03, passed 04/03/2023) 

Effective on: 4/3/2023

In accordance with G.S. 160D-301 and 160D-307, the Planning Board shall consist of a total of eight (8) members with at least one (1) member residing in the extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ). The total membership of the Planning Board shall, at a minimum, be proportional to the population of City residents in relation to ETJ residents, rounded down to the nearest whole number.

Planning Board representatives from within the City limits shall be appointed by the Belmont City Council. Representatives from the ETJ area shall be appointed by the Gaston County Board of Commissioners upon consideration of a recommendation by City Council. ETJ members of the Planning Board shall have equal rights, privileges, and duties with the inside members of the Board, regardless of whether the matters to be decided arise within the corporate limits of the city or within the extraterritorial area.

Planning Board member terms shall be staggered. To allow for staggered terms, three (3) initial appointments will be for terms of three (3) years; three (3) initial appointments will be for terms of two (2) years; and two (2) initial appointments will be for terms of one (1) year. Following the initial appointments, Planning Board terms shall be three (3) years. An appointee to the Planning Board shall not serve more than two (2) consecutive terms or a maximum of seven and a half (7.5) years if a member has filled an unexpired term, after which a member must wait three (3) years before being eligible for reappointment.

Vacancies occurring for reasons other than expiration of terms shall be filled as they occur for the period of the unexpired term.

The Planning Board shall elect its chair from among its members. The chair shall serve a maximum of two (2) consecutive one (1) year terms. An ETJ member may be elected to serve as chair on a basis that is proportional to the number of ETJ members serving on the Board.

(TA2021.04, passed 07/06/2021)

Effective on: 7/6/2021

The establishment of the Board of Adjustment for the City of Belmont is granted under the authority of G. S. 160D-302. The Board of Adjustment shall have the following duties and responsibilities:

1. A.
   To hear and decide appeals from any order, decision, determination, or interpretation made by the Planning Director pursuant to or regarding these regulations.
2. B.
   To hear and decide petitions for variances from the requirements of these regulations.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

The Board of Adjustment shall consist of a total of five (5) members with at least one (1) member residing in the extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ). The total membership of the Board of Adjustment shall, at a minimum, be proportional to the population of City residents in relation to ETJ residents, rounded down to the nearest whole number.

Board of Adjustment representatives from within the City limits shall be appointed by the Belmont City Council. Representatives from the ETJ area shall be appointed by the Gaston County Board of Commissioners upon consideration of a recommendation by City Council. ETJ members of the Board of Adjustment shall have equal rights, privileges, and duties with the inside members of the Board, regardless of whether the matters to be decided arise within the corporate limits of the city or within the extraterritorial area.

The Board of Adjustment member terms shall be staggered. To allow for staggered terms, two (2) initial appointments will be for terms of three (3) years; two (2) initial appointments will be for terms of two (2) years; and one (1) initial appointment will be for a term of one (1) year. Following the initial appointments, Board of Adjustment terms shall be three (3) years. An appointee to the Board of Adjustment shall not serve more than two (2) consecutive terms or a maximum of seven and a half (7.5) years if a member has filled an unexpired term, after which a member must wait three (3) years before being eligible for reappointment. Vacancies occurring for reasons other than expiration of terms shall be filled as they occur for the period of the unexpired term.

The Board of Adjustment shall elect the Board of Adjustment chair from among its members. The chair shall serve a maximum of two (2) consecutive one (1) year terms. An ETJ member may be elected to serve as chair on a basis that is proportional to the number of ETJ members serving on the Board.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

The Technical Review Committee shall have the following duties and responsibilities:

1. A.
   To review and comment on schematic plans prior to review by the planning board and city council; and
2. B.
   To review and comment on all construction documents;
3. C.
   To conditionally approve construction documents subject to final review by the Planning Director;
4. D.
   To establish the technical requirements for all applications including submission schedules, size and number of drawings, etc.
5. E.
   To establish a regular meeting schedule

(TA2019.01, passed 05/06/2019) 

Effective on: 5/6/2019

The Technical Review Committee shall consist of the following members:

Planning Director

City Engineer

Director of Public Works

Director of Utilities

City Manager

Fire Chief

Police Chief (as appropriate)

Gaston County Public Schools Representative

Gaston County Building Inspection Representative

Gaston County Planning Department Representative

Any other person deemed appropriate by the City Manager or the Committee

(TA2019.01, passed 05/06/2019)

Effective on: 5/6/2019