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Wicomico County Council adopts ordinance to recreate county Planning and Zoning Commission, lets council set meeting time by resolution
Summary
The Wicomico County Council voted unanimously June 17 to dissolve the joint planning commission with Salisbury and recreate a separate Wicomico County Planning and Zoning Commission, adopting an amendment allowing the council to set the commission's regular meeting date and time by resolution.
The Wicomico County Council voted unanimously June 17 to adopt legislative bill 2025-07, an ordinance to dissolve the joint Wicomico County Planning and Zoning Commission and recreate a county-only commission.
The vote follows a public hearing at the start of the meeting. The bill, introduced by county staff, revises Chapter 62 of the Wicomico County Code and updates sections on repeal, creation, membership, legal counsel and the establishment of a planning and community development department. The council adopted an amendment during the meeting that gives the council authority to set the commission's regular meeting date and time by separate resolution rather than fixing a time in the code.
Andrew Luminotti, County Attorney's Office, recommended where the amendment should be placed in the code, saying the appropriate location is "62-3, subsection B," and suggesting language to allow the council to set the date and time and allow the commission to call special meetings as needed. A council member moved the amendment, another council member seconded it, and the amendment passed unanimously.
After a brief discussion about the commission's historical meeting pattern and concerns that a fixed meeting time had discouraged some potential appointees, the council approved the ordinance as amended. A roll-call was taken: Councilman Holloway, Councilman Hastings, Councilman Wynne, Vice President Merritt and Councilman Shields all voted aye; the chair also voted aye. The bill passed unanimously as amended.
The ordinance separates the county's planning body from the City of Salisbury's planning commission; county staff said the change follows a decision to stop the longtime practice of both entities sitting as a joint commission.
Implementation steps discussed during the meeting include drafting the precise amendment language with legal counsel and the process for appointing members to the new Wicomico County Planning and Zoning Commission.
