Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Planning Commission Appointments topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Vienna amends municipal code language on planning commission nominations; second reading approved
Summary
Council members amended language in municipal code 13303 about how municipal planning commission members are nominated and confirmed and approved the ordinance's second reading as amended; the change and related wording questions drew discussion about clarity and process.
The Vienna City Council amended language in municipal code 13303 governing nomination and confirmation of Municipal Planning Commission members and approved the ordinance's second reading as amended during its regular session.
Council members debated phrasing in the code that had described nomination and confirmation as being made by “the mayor and the council,” with several members calling the language unclear. Councilmember Rhodes asked for an amendment to strike the sentence he said created uncertainty about who would make nominations. A motion to accept the amendment was made and seconded, and the council voted to accept it; the motion was recorded as passing unanimously. The council then moved to approve the ordinance's second reading as amended.
Members also flagged drafting issues in other sections of the proposed code change. One speaker noted a sentence in the removal section that reads, “the commissioner who is subject to removal may request a hearing before the removing governing body,” and questioned whether the term “removing” was a typo. Other participants replied that the phrasing reflected that either the planning commission or the council might be the removing body, depending on circumstances. At one point a council member asked whether making amendments at second reading would require restarting first and second readings; a different participant responded that it would proceed as a matter for a third reading rather than repeating the prior readings.
After the amendment was accepted, council members directed staff to produce a clean, amended draft. One member said they would present a copy of the revised language to reflect the changes discussed. The meeting then recessed for three minutes.
No vote tallies with individual member names were recorded in the meeting transcript; the clerk noted the motion accepting the amendment and the subsequent motion to approve the second reading passed unanimously.
The ordinance text discussed in the meeting is identified in the agenda as municipal code 13303; the transcript also refers to applicable "state code" in relation to statutory requirements. The council's discussion focused on wording clarifications and internal process for nominations and removals rather than on the substantive qualifications of particular nominees.
