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Plan Commission endorses ordinance to require council public hearings for zoning items before plan commission review
Summary
Staff and the city attorney presented an amendment to Section 24.16 of the Wauwatosa Municipal Code requiring public hearings on zoning‑related matters to be held first by the Common Council, then reviewed by the Plan Commission, a change the commission approved unanimously.
The Plan Commission voted unanimously to approve an ordinance amending portions of Section 24.16 of the Wauwatosa Municipal Code that would require public hearings for zoning‑related matters to be held first by the Common Council before plan commission review.
Staff and the city attorney explained the change in process was prompted by a council calendar that reduced meeting frequency and a council preference to have elected representatives host the formal public hearing as a first review step. City attorney counsel said the amendment would require conditional use permits, zoning map amendments, text amendments and preliminary planned developments to be heard at a council public hearing first; after the council hearing, items would be reviewed by the Plan Commission and then returned to council for final approval.
Supporters of the amendment described it as an effort to make processes consistent, shorten long gaps between hearings and give the public an earlier opportunity to speak to their elected representatives. The commission moved and seconded approval and passed the ordinance unanimously; the chair then adjourned the meeting.
