City of Live Oak appoints Adam Collins to Planning and Zoning Board amid conflict and attendance concerns

The City Council of the City of Live Oak on Oct. 12 appointed Adam Collins to fill seat 5 on the Planning and Zoning Board for the remainder of a three-year term that runs from August 2024 through August 2027.

The appointment followed a sequence of motions and votes during a regularly scheduled meeting. Council members first considered Patricia “Patty” Bennett and Kenny Beasley as candidates; a motion to appoint Bennett failed for lack of majority and a motion to appoint Beasley received no second. A subsequent motion to appoint Adam Collins carried by a 3–2 vote, according to the roll call recorded in the meeting transcript. Councilmember David Orford recorded a “yes” vote; the transcript records the final tally as three in favor and two opposed but does not list every councilmember’s individual vote by name.

The council opened the item by calling for applicants to speak for up to three minutes in alphabetical order. Patricia Bennett identified herself as the owner of Bennett’s Glass Company and said she has lived in Live Oak for decades and sought the position to serve the community. Adam Collins introduced himself as a lifelong Live Oak resident, described his engineering background and prior work on local infrastructure and subdivision projects, and said he applied at the request of a local official, Mr. Davis.

Several councilmembers questioned candidates about potential conflicts of interest and availability. One councilmember noted the need to avoid situations where an appointed member would have to recuse frequently because of private work in the city; another emphasized attendance requirements and the importance of maintaining a quorum so scheduled development hearings are not delayed. Collins acknowledged a small chance of conflicts given his business but said most of his work is outside the city and that he had not performed recent local projects that would create a financial conflict, as referenced in the meeting.

After debate, a motion to appoint Collins passed. The council president announced the vote and thanked all three candidates for volunteering for the unpaid role.

The new appointment fills a vacancy created when a previous board member, identified in the transcript as Miss Hatfield, resigned in mid-2024; the council noted the board has seven seats and that seat 5 had been vacant since August 2024.