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Commissioner says assembly made derogatory comments; commission members raise procedural concerns
Summary
A planning commission member criticized the borough assembly for comments about the commission and described confusion over how two rezoning applications were handled; the member cited Robert's Rules of Order and said interested parties should have been present.
A planning commission member criticized the borough assembly for making derogatory remarks about the commission’s handling of two rezoning applications and raised concerns about procedure during a planning commission meeting. The commission member said the sequence of handling the two applications created confusion and that due diligence would have required the interested parties to be present.
The commissioner said David Mazzella’s application (listed as completed in December 2024) was voted on when he was present, while Greg Johnson’s application (listed as completed Jan. 19, 2025) was not taken up because Johnson was not present to testify. The commissioner said that statements at the assembly meeting incorrectly suggested the planning commission had refused to consider Johnson’s application while approving Mazzella’s. The commissioner described the allegation as incorrect and said the planning commission members volunteered their time and are not legal experts.
One commissioner referenced Robert’s Rules of Order when describing a meeting mistake — that the commission discussed an application without a proper second to a motion. The same speaker said there had been a mention of a possible lawsuit in assembly remarks (attributed in the transcript to a person reading from a phone, identified there as Scott Newman); the commissioner characterized that as not likely to bring a legal penalty but improper.
Another commissioner said he wished the assembly had “bumped it back” to the planning commission so that all parties could be present for discussion; the speaker said he saw homeowners in the audience who intended to speak but may not have understood meeting procedures. The commission noted that David Mazzella was absent from the assembly meeting because of borough work responsibilities and that staff attendance and party presence affected the proceedings.
The planning commission did not take formal action on these comments; discussion was recorded as commissioner remarks and a request for better procedural handling. The commission then moved on to scheduling and adjourned.The next commission meeting was announced for June 10 at noon; commissioners discussed likely quorum availability.
