There shall be a board of adjustment, the membership, terms of office and rights and duties of which shall be as provided in R.S. 33:4727. The board shall adopt rules in accordance with the provisions of this section. Meetings for the board shall be held at the call of the chairman and at such times as the board may determine. All meetings shall be open to the public and preceded by due advertisement.

7.201. The board shall hear and decide upon:

(1)

Appeals from alleged error in the building inspector's [official's] decision;

(2)

Appeals for variance where exceptional and peculiar hardship would be caused by enforcement of the regulations in this ordinance and where such variance would not substantially deviate from the intent of this ordinance but not otherwise; [and]

(3)

Interpretation of the provisions of this ordinance.

7.202. The board shall not be authorized to grant variances in the use of land or to take any other action, the result of which would constitute a change in the district boundaries. The board shall always act with due consideration to promote the public health, safety, convenience and welfare, encouraging the most appropriate use of land and conserving property values; shall permit no building or use detrimental to a neighborhood and may prescribe appropriate conditions and safeguards in each case. Such appropriate conditions and safeguards may include among other things provisions for the screening of parking areas by walls, fences and plantings and other such measures.

7.203. The board shall have the power and authority to appoint a secretary who shall not necessarily be a member of the board, in which event the salary of such secretary shall be fixed by the board. It shall be the duty of the secretary to keep a true and correct record of all proceedings at such meetings, both general and special of said board, in a book or books, to be kept specially for that purpose. Certified copies of the minutes of all such proceedings shall be furnished to the chairman of the zoning commission.

Editor's note— Ord. No. 803, § 1, adopted June 14, 1982, provided for the deletion of former §§ 7.3—7.5 which pertained to fees, salaries, and appeals from board decisions. Such sections were derived, unamended, from the enacting ordinance.