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Planning commission tables bylaws changes, asks members to submit edits by Jan. 20
Summary
Commissioners flagged language allowing written ballots in sections 3.2 and 4.3 of their bylaws and voted unanimously to postpone adoption until Jan. 27, directing members to submit suggested edits to staff by Jan. 20 for consolidation.
Members of the Grand County Planning Commission spent a substantial portion of the Jan. 13 meeting reviewing the commission bylaws and agreed to postpone any adoption or final edits to allow time for consolidation of proposed changes.
Several commissioners raised concern about language in section 3.2 and 4.3 that permits written ballots “if requested by the chair,” saying that phrasing could enable less-transparent voting dynamics. One commissioner urged removal of the written-ballot option: "I'd like to get rid of, if requested by the chair, written ballots, must be used for voting purposes," the commissioner said during debate.
Staff noted that even when ballots are submitted in writing, planning staff must tally the number of votes for each candidate and read that information back into the record. Commissioners discussed tradeoffs: some said written ballots can mitigate peer pressure; others argued the commission should default to open hand-raising and recorded voice votes.
To give commissioners time to propose precise redlines, the body voted to table the bylaws amendment. The motion to postpone the bylaws adoption until the Jan. 27 meeting passed unanimously; members were asked to send suggested changes to planning staff by Monday the 20th so staff can consolidate the edits for the next packet.
The commission did not adopt any bylaw changes on Jan. 13. Any edits consolidated by staff will return to a future meeting for discussion and a formal vote.
