Planning Commission elects Commissioner Volkhart chair; Commissioner Riley named vice chair

The City of Talent Planning Commission elected Commissioner Volkhart as its chair and Commissioner Joe Riley as vice chair during its regular meeting.

Commissioners nominated two members for chair: Commissioner Volkhart and Commissioner D'Amato. After a roll-call tally, commissioners recorded five votes for Commissioner Volkhart and two votes for Commissioner D'Amato; the motion to elect Volkhart carried and she assumed the chair position. Later in the meeting, Commissioner Riley was nominated and confirmed as vice chair in a unanimous roll-call vote.

The new chair outlined priorities she said she would emphasize: restoring public access to planning files on the city website, advancing code updates that were put on hold in 2021, and reviewing commercial‑to‑residential zoning options. "I like to work cooperatively with staff and, but I take direction from the commission and from the people that have appointed me. And so I will certainly do my best to work cooperatively, but I don't take direction from staff," Commissioner Volkhart said after the vote.

Commissioners said they expect the chair and vice chair to help guide the commission through a set of pending planning tasks, including code updates and long‑range planning projects listed by staff. The commission did not adopt any additional leadership rules during the meeting.

The chair and vice chair elections are procedural but set the leadership that will shepherd several substantive planning items the commission is working on, including code updates and ongoing long‑range planning studies.

Votes at a glance: Chair — Commissioner Volkhart (5 votes) defeated Commissioner D'Amato (2 votes); Vice Chair — Commissioner Joe Riley (unanimous).