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Rathdrum resident urges commissioners to press staff on water, traffic studies and record-keeping
Summary
At the Nov. 19 meeting a resident, Stacy O'Connell, criticized staff responses at prior meetings and urged the Planning & Zoning Commission to request water and traffic studies when needed, and to ensure minutes and information are available to council.
Rathdrum — During public comment at the Nov. 19 Planning & Zoning meeting, resident Stacy O'Connell urged commissioners to be explicit when they want staff to prepare traffic or water studies and criticized staff for telling the commission such studies are "not required," which she said has been interpreted as meaning the commission cannot ask for them.
O'Connell, who identified herself as a Rathdrum resident, told the commission she was frustrated that staff responses at recent meetings did not clearly distinguish between what is required by code and what the commission may request. “Just because they do not have to do it does not mean you cannot ask them to,” she said, urging commissioners to request studies when the issues are material to a decision. She said water has become a "hot topic" locally and that staff should be more proactive in helping the commission get needed information.
O'Connell also said minutes from the Oct. 15 P&Z public hearing were not available to the City Council on Nov. 12, and asked commissioners to review the prior meeting record. She referenced recent local election results, saying the vote reflected significant community opposition to growth and named the winning council candidate, John Hodgkin, as an example of that trend.
Chair response: The chair interrupted to remind the public that comments about the performance of specific city employees are inappropriate in this forum and should be directed to the mayor, but allowed O'Connell to continue commenting on broader issues of staff responsiveness.
Context: O'Connell’s remarks framed staff responsiveness and data availability (minutes, studies) as issues the commission could address by explicitly requesting studies or records when they believe them necessary for informed decision-making. The commission did not take immediate formal action in response to the public comment at this meeting.
