Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Planning Zoning topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Monongalia County removes district-based requirement from planning commission ordinance
Summary
After a public hearing May 14, the Monongalia County Commission approved an amendment to the ordinance creating the Mon County Planning Commission to delete the sentence requiring one commissioner from each planning district, aligning membership with the countywide comprehensive plan adopted in 2023.
The Monongalia County Commission voted May 14 to amend the ordinance creating the Mon County Planning Commission (ordinance 2003-01) by removing the sentence in Article 5 that required “one planning commission member shall be appointed from each planning district.”
The change follows a countywide comprehensive plan update in 2023 that, commissioners and staff said, made the earlier planning-district representation language outdated. A county planner summarized the ordinance history: the commission and planning districts were established in 1999, the first comprehensive plan that included four districts was adopted in 2004, and the countywide approach in 2023 rendered the district-based appointment requirement a vestige of earlier planning structures.
The commission opened a public hearing before the vote. Two members of the public spoke in favor: Mary Ann Folz of 321 Morgantown Avenue spoke explicitly in support of the amendment. No public comments opposing the change were recorded. The county staff confirmed the amendment had been published on April 30 and May 9 and that the first reading occurred April 30.
Commissioners said the amendment simply removes one sentence from Article 5, allowing the planning commission to be populated without the prior district-based constraint, which they described as increasing participation and inclusivity. The motion to approve the amendment passed by voice vote.
Ending: The county clerk will record the amended ordinance; staff noted no correspondence opposing the change had been received and that the ordinance revision proceeds to implementation under the county's rules for planning commission appointments.
