Heather Diebold, Coordinator

Jessica Shirey, Vice-Chairman

John Exnicios, III

Regina Delaune

Brandon Recotta

Tanya Turner

Michael Holly, Architect

Courtney Mahler

Rules of Operation - 2018

Abstaining (or Recusing Oneself) from a Vote
If a Commissioner feels an application on the agenda is a conflict of interest for either financial or personal reasons, he or she must abstain from both discussing the item and voting on it. The Commissioner must not participate in the hearing of that application at all. 

A Commissioner may also abstain from voting if he or she does not feel they have a stance on the matter. 

Amending the Agenda
Amendments to the agenda may come at any point in the meeting. Any member of the Commission may request to amend the agenda to which another Commissioner must second.  A majority vote must follow for the amendment to be validated. 

Applications
An application must be submitted at least five (5) days prior to the scheduled monthly Commission meeting. Applications that are submitted later or are submitted without complete information will not be considered. 

Applications will be open for public view once they are posted on the official agenda. 

After receipt of a complete application, that application may still be amended in the meeting to reflect project changes or previously missed details. Only items listed on the application will be eligible for approval. 

If an application is approved, a Certificate of Appropriateness (COA) will be issued in the meeting by the Administrator. The Administrator will also take photographic evidence of approval after the applicant has signed his/her COA. 

Attendance
Commissioners must each attend at least 80% of all monthly meetings and working sessions held. The Administrative Director has the right to request a Commissioner be dismissed by the City Council who does not meet this requirement.  

Commissioner Enforcement
If a Commissioner becomes aware of a minor violation in the District, he or she may make the property/business owner aware of it. If that initial encounter does not prevail in counteracting 

The violation, the Commissioner then must alert the Administrator, who will continue with enforcement (which is initially sending a notification and then progressing to getting a Code Enforcement Officer involved). Property address, relevant tenant business, and comments on the issue must be included in an official notification to the Administrator. 

Commissioner Reappointment
When a Commissioner’s term has ended, he or she may apply to be reappointed for another four (4) year term. This can be done by submitting a letter of interest and resume to the HHDC Administrator during the period that the opening position is advertised.  

There is no limit on how many terms one can be reappointed for by the Mayor of the City of Hammond. 

Making a Motion
When all questions are complete and comments heard during an application hearing, a Commissioner must make a motion to either approve or deny that application. When constructing this motion, the reason for it must be stated – similar to the following structure: 

“I move to [accept/deny] this application for [type of work] on the grounds that [cite reason/relevant design guidelines].” 

After a motion is made, another Commissioner must second it. The Chairman will then request a vote and the Administrator will call roll for that vote. The majority rules.

Failure to Comply with Historic District Commission Guidelines & Approvals
Any property owner, contractor, sub-contractor, lessee, renter, or other responsible party who is subject to the rules and regulations of the Historic District Commission and fails to comply with rulings of the Commission or guidelines of the district shall be cited as being in Violation of LA.  R.S. 25:740. Every day shall be considered a separate violation.

Quorum
There must be at least four (4) Commissioners present to vote on applications or other matters.  This defines a quorum. 

Reviewing Exterior Renovations
All details on submitted renderings and building plans are up for approval on an application. If an item is not summarized on the application and it is not discussed in the meeting, but it is represented on the building plans, an approval of the application still allows for approval of that item.

 Reviewing Monthly Meeting Prep Packet
Unless there is an unforeseen delay, each Friday evening before a monthly meeting a prep packet will be delivered to the Commissioners via email. The purpose of this packet is to allow the Commissioners to review the agenda details and relevant documents.  

While the packet provides context, renderings, and other relevant information (like a few of the more relevant guidelines), it is the duty of the Commissioner to review and relate applications to the historic district design guidelines before attending the monthly meeting. This is to ensure all pertinent guidelines are consulted before the application is formally reviewed.  

Keep in mind while reviewing that questions may arise which can be answered ahead of time.  There may also be some queries are slightly outside the purview of the Commission (e.g.  Questions about drainage and structural engineering). Those can be answered or confirmed outside the Commission’s umbrella by the Administrator prior to the meeting date. 

Role of Chairman
The duty of the Chairman is to lead the meeting. He or she opens the meeting, announces the agenda items, and calls for a vote on all motions that are seconded.  

The Chairman must also keep line of questioning and direction of conversation adherent to only what is under the purview of the Commission. If there are questions from other Commissioners about facets of development projects that are handled by City Council or the Planning & Zoning Board, then the Chairman must redirect it appropriately. He or she may say,

“While that Question is valid to the planning process, it will not hold weight on the decision of this Commission. Therefore we will move on.”  

This is also a relevant aspect of the Chairman’s role if the applicant or a citizen from the audience approaches the stand to comment on something that is not for the Commission to consider. For instance, if the citizen perceives a potential noise issue. This is not for the Commission to comment on nor should it hold weight on the final decision. If an applicant expresses the economic value of their renovation and the commerce it will bring to the community, the Chairman must respond that those considerations are not relevant for the decision of the Commission. The only relevant factors are those covered in the HHD design guidelines. 

The Chairman also asks for public comment for each application reviewed by the Commission before a motion. He or she also requests public input at the end of each meeting, immediately prior to adjournment. 

After meetings are complete, the Chairman provides signature approval to all reviewed applications. 

The Chairman shall be elected by the voting members of the Historic District Commission. His or her term shall be for one year and he or she may serve consecutive terms. Elections occur annually during June as they follow the fiscal year cycle.

 Role of Vice-Chairman
If the Chairman is absent or must abstain from a vote, the Vice-Chairman acts in his or her place in the same manner as detailed above – including being signatory to applications reviewed under their leadership. 

The Vice-Chairman shall be elected by the Commission from among its members in the same manner as the Chairman and shall be eligible for reelection indefinitely. Once again, Elections occur annually during June as they follow the fiscal year cycle. 

Role of Commission Administrator
the Administrator shall serve as record keeper, correspondence hub, and shall generally supervise the clerical work for the Commission.  

The Administrator shall not be eligible to vote upon any matter. However, he or she may participate in application review as long as his or her input is deemed appropriate by the Chairman. 

Voting
the vote of a majority of those members present at HHDC meetings shall be sufficient to decide matters before the Commission, provided a quorum is present. No Commission member shall vote on the decision of any matter in which he or she has a personal or financial interest.