The commission held the second and final public hearing on ordinance 32-85, which makes changes to administrative processes and development review procedures in the city’s Unified Land Development Code. Several commissioners and members of the public said the draft as written would move some preliminary plat authority from the planning board to staff-level administrative sign-off and remove a clear avenue for citizens to appeal staff determinations.

Michael Fuller, director of development services, explained the change is driven by recent state law (identified in the meeting as Senate Bill 784) that requires an administrative official to sign certain plats; he said the planning board will still exist for other matters. Commissioners asked staff to propose a narrowly drawn appeals process and a reporting mechanism so the commission can track what is being approved administratively.

A motion was made to defer final adoption until the commission reviews proposed appeals language; the motion passed 5-0. Staff said they will draft an amendment to the ordinance spelling out an appeal route (for example, allowing a person aggrieved by an administrative decision to appeal to the commission within 30 days) and return it at the next meeting.