Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Planning topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
County staff previews ordinance to consolidate planning commissions; commissioners discuss Dec. 1 effective date
Summary
Staff presented a drafted ordinance that would replace multiple advisory-area planning commissions with a single countywide planning commission under a statute that allows counties of the second class to do so. Commissioners discussed timing and appointments; staff proposed a Dec. 1 effective date and reappointment process.
County legal and planning staff presented a draft ordinance at the Nov. 3 work session to consolidate the county’s planning advisory commissions into a single countywide planning commission, using a state statute that permits such consolidation without dissolving advisory-area boundaries.
The draft ordinance would dissolve the existing advisory-area planning commissions and create a single commission with staggered terms. Staff said the Western Weber Planning Commission could supply many of the initial appointees but that commissioners retain discretion to appoint other residents from Ogden Valley, Powder Mountain or other unincorporated areas.
Timing and process: Staff left the ordinance’s effective date blank in the draft to allow commissioners to choose. Commissioners discussed an effective date of Dec. 1 to allow time for the post-election canvas and for new appointments to be made before more applications arrive in January. The county code currently says members shall be nominated "from a list of applicants;" staff said that requirement could be kept (and applicants solicited) or the language could be adjusted to allow direct appointment.
Why it matters: Consolidation would centralize appointment authority and planning hearings while leaving planning-advisory-area boundaries on the books. Staff said the change would help the county manage a likely increase in applications after incorporation events and reduce duplicate hearings.
Next steps: Staff said the ordinance will be on the commission agenda for first reading; commissioners discussed a schedule with final reading and appointments in mid-to-late December to ensure the new commission convenes before the new year.
