Planning commission reviews redlined rules and procedures draft; plans final vote in August

The Havre de Grace Planning Commission on July 17 devoted the latter part of its meeting to a page‑by‑page review of a redlined draft of rules and procedures prepared by the city attorney. Commissioners discussed membership and appointment language, the role and appointment of a council liaison, oath wording for testimony, acceptance of written public comments, and guidelines for site visits. The commission agreed to circulate a cleaned‑up draft and to consider final adoption at the August meeting.

Why it matters: Rules and procedures govern how the commission conducts quasi‑public hearings, handles evidence and public comment, and coordinates with city staff and other elected officials. Changes discussed affect transparency, due process for applicants and the public, and compliance with state open meetings requirements.

Key items discussed - Membership and liaison role: Commissioners and staff clarified that the mayor appoints commissioners, that the body consists of seven regular members plus one alternate, and that council liaisons are appointed by the council president in most cases. Commissioners noted that the draft removes a sitting council member as a voting commissioner and changes that position to a council liaison role so the liaison no longer participates in deliberative votes.

- Elections and nominations: Language was tightened to require nominees for officer positions to be present or to provide written confirmation of willingness to serve; the draft removes proxy voting. Commissioners agreed to change wording to "shall" in the nominations section to make presence or written acceptance explicit.

- Oath and testimony: The commission agreed to streamline the oath language for witnesses and to allow the chair to administer a single group oath before testimony rather than individually swearing every speaker at the outset. Commissioners also agreed the chair should have discretion to swear in a member of the public if that person presents factual evidence that would be treated as testimony.

- Written public comments and record handling: Commissioners discussed how written comments should be handled in compliance with the Open Meetings Act and applicants’ due‑process rights. The commission directed that all written submissions go to the Department of Planning for distribution to commissioners and the applicant with an appropriate deadline so materials can be reviewed in advance; the department will set the operational deadline and format for written submissions and will post submissions with the record when appropriate.

- Site visits: Commissioners debated language governing site visits. Several commissioners expressed that members routinely visit sites to understand context and that visits should not be unduly restricted, but that if a visit involves more than a quorum or entry into inhabited buildings, the Open Meetings Act and courtesy notice rules apply. The commission asked staff to prepare a clearer, simpler paragraph on site visits and circulation practices for review at the next meeting.

Next steps Chair Von Volney Ford said the city attorney’s redlined draft and commissioner edits will be combined into a clean version for circulation; the commission aims to vote on the final rules and procedures at its August meeting. Commissioners asked staff to finalize the language on written submissions, site visits, and liaison appointment mechanics before that vote.

Quotes and process notes - Chair Von Volney Ford opened the rules discussion by saying he had drafted the rules more than a year ago and then sent them to the city attorney for redlining; he asked commissioners to take the document "page by page" and suggested adoption at the next meeting. - Commissioners and the city attorney repeatedly emphasized the need to coordinate written public comments through the Department of Planning to preserve due process for applicants and to comply with open‑meetings rules.

The discussion did not result in final adoption; commissioners asked staff and the city attorney to produce a clean version reflecting agreed edits for formal consideration in August.