Monroe County Plan Commission members on June 17 discussed possible changes to Article 10 of the Plan Commission rules of procedure to clarify the conduct of hearings and reduce crosstalk, and were told staff will bring a red-line draft to the commission's July 1 administrative meeting for consideration.

The discussion matters because commissioners and staff said occasional hybrid-meeting interruptions and overlapping comments have left some members feeling they did not have a full opportunity to speak before a motion was called. Jackie, a Monroe County planning staff member, told the commission she could “add something in here such as plan commission comments and then close that section, move on to plan commission motions, close that section. If there is need for debate, we could do that and then we can move to a vote.”

Several commissioners urged caution about adding formal steps that could stifle discussion. “I think that all Plan Commission members should have the opportunity to speak before a motion is made,” said Commissioner Jeff Morris, urging the chair to ensure members are recognized before motions. John Enright Randolph said spacing discussion and motions would “appreciate everyone's time and effort into the deliberation,” while Colonel Scott Ferris cautioned that separating “comments” and a separate “debate” step could produce redundant loops and extended discussion.

Commissioner Julie Thomas said the administrative meeting format is a different forum for free discussion and warned against over-rigid rules. Commissioner David Henry said procedural rules can serve as a referee that protects speech and ensures all voices are heard, particularly on more contentious items.

Staff reported progress on the Monroe County Development Ordinance (CDO) amendment prioritization list and directed members to monroecdo.com and the SharePoint folder for details. Jackie said she added ordinance numbers and language clarifying when items are “complete or substantially complete,” and noted items numbered 2, 7 and 13 have been recently addressed with text amendments. The ordinance review committee will continue to evaluate priorities and bring text amendments to the full commission as appropriate.

The commission did not adopt any rule changes on June 17; staff will prepare a red-line amendment for the July 1 administrative meeting that will outline options for (a) explicitly requiring that all commissioners be recognized for comment before a motion is called, and (b) providing an optional, structured debate phase after a motion if the commission chooses to allow it.