Bluff council adopts planning and zoning commission bylaw changes

The Bluff Town Council unanimously adopted a set of recommended changes to the Bluff Planning and Zoning Commission bylaws at the meeting. The amendments revise language about site visits, meeting frequency and scheduling around holiday weeks and remove a clause about public hearings that staff said may be preempted by other laws.

Council members and staff said the commission's updated rules change “field trips” language to “site visits” and require the commission to meet at least twice per month, with the chair allowed to designate one meeting as a work session. The revisions also give the chair discretion to reschedule meetings that would otherwise fall during holiday weeks to another day within the same month.

A staff member told the council there is overlap between the proposed public-hearing language and other town documents and recommended deleting that provision and relying on the town's resolution and existing policies. Councilmembers agreed to remove two specific provisions identified for legal review, saying the town will get an opinion from the town attorney, Chris, on those items before relying on them.

A motion to adopt the commission's recommended bylaw changes was made, seconded and approved by unanimous voice vote. No recorded roll-call tally was provided in the meeting record.

Council members said the changes are intended to clear up procedural language so the commission can focus on substantive planning work as the town moves into budget season.