Kankakee committee trims planning board to nine members, requires members live inside city

The Kankakee City planning committee voted to change the city’s planning board composition from the older, more complex listing of ex officio seats to a nine-member board and to require that members reside within the city corporate limits.

Melissa King, city planner, told the committee that state statute refers to a planning commission and allows municipalities to set membership rules. "The state gives authority for zoning board of appeals, which our planning board acts as," King said, explaining the cleanup language and why staff recommended updating the ordinance to match current practice.

King said the old ordinance described a 14-member body that included ex officio seats — a member of the Board of Education, a member of the Zoning Board of Appeals, a Park District representative, the Kankakee Township supervisor and the county board chairman in addition to nine regular members. She said the city had not been operating under that roster for many years; the mayor estimated it had been at least 10 years.

Committee members said it is difficult to fill the current seats and that limiting membership to city residents would simplify appointments. "I think it should be people within the city," said one committee member. The committee moved to change the language to establish nine members who must reside within the city corporate limits; the motion passed with affirmative votes recorded by roll call (O'Brien, Talley, Johnson, Lewis).

King also said the planning board currently has two vacancies; one seat was expected to be filled and another opened when a member was recently elected to the school board. The ordinance-cleanup language will return in the form presented to the city council for final adoption.

Committee members did not request an executive session and adjourned after completing the item.