Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Bylaws Update topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Clatsop County planning commission to review removing ban on real-estate professionals in bylaws
Summary
Commissioners discussed a staff recommendation to remove a bylaw prohibition on planning commission members engaged in buying, selling or developing real estate, citing recruitment challenges; the commission agreed to table the change until staff can verify state statute language.
The Clatsop County Planning Commission spent substantial time during its meeting considering whether to revise its bylaws to remove a prohibition on membership for people "engaged in the buying, selling or developing of real estate," Community Development Director Gail Henriksen told commissioners.
"Our planning commission bylaws were last updated in 2022," Henriksen said, and she explained that "house bill 31 36" recently amended the ORS language that governs the commission's makeup. Henriksen said staff recommends dropping the bylaw prohibition to ease recruitment in a small county.
Commissioners pressed staff on the scope and likely effects of the change. Henriksen clarified the proposal would keep the commission at seven members; it would not increase the membership cap but would remove the specific prohibition that previously could have prevented a third contractor or other real-estate professional from serving.
Several commissioners raised concerns that removing the restriction might not yield greater diversity or more applicants and noted appointment decisions have sometimes prioritized geographic representation from particular commissioner districts. Commissioners also questioned how to define occupations when many residents list multiple jobs, such as commercial fishing combined with other work.
Henriksen said staff will verify whether the prohibition remains in the Oregon Revised Statutes and that the county cannot alter statutory language. The commission agreed to table the bylaw revision until the December meeting so members can review proposed edits and staff can confirm the ORS language.
The matter will return to a future agenda after staff verification and any additional recommended edits from commissioners and the board of county commissioners.
