Title
Ordinance amending the Pittsburgh City Code at Title One: Article IX, Chapter 174: THE PITTSBURGH LAND BANK, Section 174A.05 BOARD OF DIRECTORS by expanding the board to eleven (11) board members, contingent upon the City of Pittsburgh entering into an intergovernmental cooperation agreement with Allegheny County, the Pittsburgh Public School District, and the Pittsburgh Land Bank.
Body
The Council of the City of Pittsburgh hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Section 174A.05 of Article IX, Title One of the Pittsburgh City Code shall be amended as follows:
(a) Board of Directors The land bank shall be governed by a board of directors comprised of nine (9) eleven (11) board members. Three (3) members of the board shall be appointed by the Mayor; three (3) members of the board shall be appointed by the three (3) members of City Council representing the districts with the most distressed and vacant parcels; one (1) member of the board shall be appointed by Allegheny County; one (1) member of the board shall be appointed by the Pittsburgh Public School District; and three (3) community members of the board shall be elected by majority vote of the other board members. Of the three (3) members elected by the board, the first member shall be a resident of one (1) of the top three (3) most distressed Council districts. The second member shall be a resident of one (1) of the fourth through sixth most distressed districts. The third member shall be a resident of one (1) of three (3) least distressed districts. The three (3) community board members elected by the board of directors shall be approved and seated within thirty (30) days of the six (6) appointed board members being seated. An audit will be performed every three (3) years after the initial land bank board is instated to determine which are the districts with the most distressed and vacant parcels.
(b) Board size adjustment. The size of the board may be expanded to up to eleven (11) board members in accordance with the bylaws of the land bank and intergovernmental cooperation agreements with any municipality or taxing jurisdiction which provides for membership on the board. No adjustment to the board size shall be effective unless approved by City Council and until the appropriate cooperation agreements are executed.
(c) Qualifications. Members shall meet the following qualifications:
(1) All board members shall live in the City of Pittsburgh, until such a point that the land bank is expanded to other municipalities.
(2) The three (3) board members appointed by the Mayor shall have the following expertise: one (1) appointee shall have expertise in planning; one (1) appointee shall have expertise in financial management; and one (1) appointee shall be a licensed real estate professional.
(3) The three (3) board members appointed by City Council shall have expertise in community development and/or community organizing.
(4) The board members shall reflect geographic diversity, with at least one (1) representative of each of the City's regions (north, south, east, west, and central) serving on the board.
(5) The board members representing other taxing jurisdictions shall be nominated and approved through procedures as adopted by the respective jurisdiction and documented in the appropriate cooperation agreements.
(6) The board members appointed by Allegheny County and the Pittsburgh Public School District shall be either public officials or employees of their respective jurisdictions.
Section 2. Section 174A.05 (j) of Article IX, Title One of the Pittsburgh City Code shall be amended as follows:
(j) Removal. Board members serve at the pleasure of their appointing entity and may be removed by the appointing entity at any time with or without cause, or may be removed pursuant to any other provision of Pennsylvania law. For the purposes of this Chapter, the Mayor, City Council, and the land bank board, Allegheny County, and Pittsburgh Public School District constitute three (3) five (5) separate appointing entities. Any individual or organization may submit recommendations for Board membership to be considered in making appointments.