Commissioner Jones urges consistency and says applicants should be able to rely on planning findings

Commissioner Mark Jones used the Commission Comments portion of the Oct. 14 meeting to press for procedural consistency between the Planning Commission and the Board of County Commissioners. Jones said applicants rely on the planning staff’s research, findings and recommended motions when they file applications and that the county’s review system should be predictable.

Jones said the planning department provides packages with findings applicants must meet and that commissioners should base dissenting votes on facts and legal findings rather than personal preference. “If we, as commissioners, cannot dispute their findings, we must vote in favor of the petitioner,” Jones said. He added that a commissioner who votes no should “back that with facts in support of it. Just saying no is not acceptable on these boards.”

On the Board of County Commissioners’ role in overturning Planning Commission recommendations, Jones said the practice can create unfair outcomes for applicants. “If an applicant meets the findings and gets voted down by the Board of County Commissioners, all their fees should be refunded because they’ve done what they were supposed to do, and we failed them,” Jones said on the record. He commended a recent statement by Commissioner Jacobson at the county commission meeting (as reported in the transcript) that signaled attention to consistent application of findings.

Jones praised the planning staff and urged the boards to apply consistent standards so applicants can rely on the process. No formal action or policy change was proposed at the meeting; Jones’ remarks were entered into the record as commissioner comments and staff and fellow commissioners acknowledged the point.