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Commission votes to recommend changing regular meeting date to Thursday following first council meeting
Summary
The Murphy Planning and Zoning Commission agreed to recommend amending its bylaws to move regular meetings to the Thursday following the first Tuesday (city council meeting) each month, cancelling May's meeting and scheduling the next meeting for June 5, subject to city council approval.
The Murphy Planning and Zoning Commission voted to ask the city council to amend the commission bylaws so that regular monthly meetings occur on the Thursday following the first Tuesday of each month (effectively the Thursday after the first city council meeting), rather than the fourth Monday of the month. The commission also agreed to cancel its May meeting and scheduled meetings to resume under the proposed calendar on June 5, pending council approval.
Reagan, a city staff member, framed the proposal as a timing and workload improvement for staff and applicants, saying Monday meetings can compress staff turnaround and public-notice timing. "Monday is a really odd day for P and Z for a meeting of any kind," Reagan said, noting Mondays are busy for staff and that moving the meeting could shorten the turnaround time for items moving from P&Z to city council.
Staff presented two options: a) a Thursday meeting pegged to the first council meeting each month so P&Z and council remain in alignment, or b) a meeting on the second Tuesday of the month. Staff said the Thursday option would often allow about 10 days to turn items to council, while the Tuesday option would maintain a roughly similar spacing as the current schedule.
Commissioners discussed the tradeoffs. One commissioner said the Thursday option offered a consistent monthly cadence tied to council and favored streamlining applicants' ability to reach council more quickly. Another commissioner expressed concern about potential confusion over the phrasing "the Thursday following the first Tuesday" but said staff could provide a calendar to resolve that.
A motion recommending the bylaws amendment as presented by staff — moving regular meetings to the Thursday following the first Tuesday of each month, canceling the May meeting, and scheduling the next regular meeting for June 5 — was made and seconded; the commission approved the recommendation by voice vote. The change is subject to city council approval and will require staff to update the city's website and notices if council acts to adopt the bylaw amendment.
Staff noted the proposed change is intended to shorten application turnaround and improve coordination with city council, and that staff and commissioners would provide updated calendars to reduce confusion about the new meeting cadence.
