Tumwater council adopts ordinance cutting planning commission from nine to seven members

The Tumwater City Council on May 6 adopted ordinance O2025-003 to change the planning commission’s composition from nine members to seven.

Staff presentation noted that state law provides broad latitude on the size of planning commissions and that cities may set membership between three and 12. The staff presenter said the city set the commission at nine members in 1984 and adjusted membership in 1993 to reflect urban growth-area considerations; the current change was described as the first substantive adjustment in more than 30 years.

“State law, gives the city pretty wide latitude in the number of members that could be potentially part of a planning commission anywhere from 3 to 12,” the staff presenter said during the briefing. Staff told the council the change responds to ongoing recruitment difficulties and to repeated episodes when the commission has lacked enough appointed members to operate without requiring a larger share of members to be present to achieve quorum.

Council members who previously served on the planning commission described the role as demanding (two meetings per month plus preparation) and said reducing membership should make scheduling and quorum attainment easier. The general government committee recommended advancing the change, and Council member Althauser moved adoption; the motion passed unanimously.

The ordinance takes effect under the usual codified ordinance procedures; staff and council members said the city will continue recruitment efforts to fill the seven positions and that the change does not alter the commission’s statutory responsibilities to advise on planning, zoning and land-use matters.