Chapter 2.120
NAMING AND RENAMING OF PUBLIC MEMORIALS
Sections:
2.120.020 Composition of the board – Terms of office – Vacancies.
2.120.030 Powers and duties of the board.
2.120.050 Compensation of board members.
2.120.010 Purpose.
The purpose of this chapter is to provide a citizen board, called the memorial review board, to receive, review and make recommendations on proposals to name and rename public memorials. The board shall serve as a facilitator and shall encourage dialogue on such proposals; hold public hearings; conduct focus groups, discussions and surveys; and balance the public’s sense of place, history and identity with special recognition for a particular community, leader or history. (Ord. 02-003 § 1, 2002; prior code § 3-8-1)
2.120.020 Composition of the board – Terms of office – Vacancies.
A. The memorial review board shall consist of five residents of the town of Huachuca City who are appointed by the town council.
B. Appointments to the board for the first term shall be for one-, two- and three-year terms. Thereafter, there shall be four-year terms, commencing July 1st. The chairperson shall be elected annually by a majority vote of the membership of the board. (Ord. 02-003 § 1, 2002; prior code § 3-8-2)
2.120.030 Powers and duties of the board.
The memorial review board shall be informed of, and review and advise upon, all matters pertaining to the naming or renaming of the public areas, such as streets, buildings or structures, or other public objects. (Ord. 02-003 § 1, 2002; prior code § 3-8-3)
2.120.040 Meetings.
A. The memorial review board shall hold regular meetings once a month unless it has no agenda items, and shall consider applications for a public memorial on the agenda of the next regular meeting of the memorial review board, when an application for naming or renaming a public memorial has been filed with the town clerk.
B. The business conducted by the memorial review board shall be open to the public and held in compliance with the Open Meetings Act. Public notice of the time, date and place of such meetings shall be given in the manner required by the Act. (Ord. 02-003 § 1, 2002; prior code § 3-8-4)
2.120.050 Compensation of board members.
The memorial review board members shall not receive compensation for their service on the board. (Ord. 02-003 § 1, 2002; prior code § 3-8-5)
2.120.060 Procedures.
A. An application shall be filed with the town clerk requesting the following information:
1. The proposed name and the basis for the proposal;
2. The object or site that is the subject of the proposal;
3. The current name, if applicable;
4. The effect of the proposed name change upon residents and businesses;
5. The projected cost of the proposal; and
6. Anticipated support or opposition to the proposal.
B. The town clerk shall refer the application to the memorial review board upon receipt.
C. When a petition is required, the town clerk shall verify the petition and refer it to the memorial review board.
D. Within 90 days of receiving the application, the memorial review board shall review all proposals and make a recommendation and pass its recommendation on to the town council.
E. The memorial review board shall notify the applicant of the initial scheduled meeting to review the application. At such meeting, the board shall determine how to proceed to review the application.
1. The board may require the applicant to provide such additional information as is determined to be necessary for the board to make an informed recommendation and which can reasonably be produced by the applicant in a timely manner. Failure of the applicant to provide such information shall not relieve the board of its obligation to make a recommendation to town council within 90 days.
2. The board shall make a determination of the accuracy of the information presented in the application and include such determination in the recommendation forwarded to town council.
3. The board shall determine appropriate language to be included in public notices and notifications to affected parties under this chapter, subject to the approval of the town attorney. At a minimum, such notices and notifications shall include the location to be named or renamed and the cost of such naming or renaming to the city, together with the time, date and location of any subsequently scheduled public hearings or meetings of the board at which the proposed naming or renaming is to be discussed.
F. If the proposed naming or renaming is of a street, the applicant shall be responsible for, and bear the cost of, printing and delivering to affected businesses and residences notice of the name change for which an application has been submitted. Such notification shall be made to all businesses and residences with mailing addresses on the street in question and to all businesses and residences on the immediate corners of each street transversed by such street. As part of the notification process, the applicant shall make a reasonable effort to present to such residences and businesses written notice as described in subsection (E)(3) of this section.
1. Such notification shall also include information as prepared by the board and approved by the town attorney, describing the town’s process for naming and renaming public objects and streets as public memorials.
2. Further, the applicant shall request that the occupant of a residence or business sign a statement, in a form acceptable to the board and the town attorney, acknowledging receipt of the notification. If such occupant is not available or chooses not to sign the statement, the applicant should list the address of such occupant on the statement and the date and time notification was attempted, and indicate that the occupant was not available or chose not to sign. A signature on the petition submitted by the applicant shall be considered to fulfill this requirement for acknowledgment of notification. A copy of all acknowledgments or petitions shall be forwarded to the board for its review within 60 days of the submission of the application.
G. If the proposed naming or renaming is of a local street, a petition indicating support for the proposed change and bearing the signatures of one percent of the town’s registered voters must be submitted within 60 days of the application. If the proposed naming or renaming is of a major street, a petition bearing the signatures of three percent of the town’s registered voters must be submitted within 60 days of the application. If the applicant fails to submit valid petitions as verified by the town clerk, the memorial review board shall report to town council that the applicant has failed to collect sufficient signatures and the application is invalid. Town council shall not be obligated to hold public hearings or to vote on the proposed naming or renaming, should sufficient valid signatures not be collected by the applicant.
H. Town council shall hold a public hearing on the proposal. At least 30 days prior to such public hearing, notification shall be published in a newspaper of general circulation within the town. If the proposal is to name or rename a street, the town clerk shall cause to be mailed to the owners of record of properties with mailing addresses on such street, and on the street corners of streets immediately transversing such street, notification of the proposal and the date, place and time of the proposed public hearing.
I. Town council shall vote on the proposal within 90 days of the memorial review board’s recommendation to council.
J. The actual naming or renaming shall be done within 90 days after the proposal has been passed by resolution or ordinance. (Ord. 02-003 § 1, 2002; prior code § 3-8-6)