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Planning Commission rejects rule to allow telephonic testimony for late, extraordinary circumstances
Summary
After extended debate about access and potential delay tactics, the Fairbanks North Star Borough Planning Commission voted 5–6 to reject a proposed Rule 30 that would allow telephonic or affidavit testimony submitted after existing deadlines for extraordinary circumstances.
The Fairbanks North Star Borough Planning Commission debated and then rejected a proposed rule on May 13 that would let parties or witnesses participate telephonically or by affidavit when a request arrives after the standard deadlines "due to circumstances beyond the party or witness's control."
Supporters said the change would increase public access for genuinely unforeseen reasons such as sudden illness; opponents warned it could be used to delay quasi‑judicial hearings and complicate due‑process pathways.
A staff member read the proposed language into the record: "Notwithstanding the…
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