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Planning commission to form bylaws committee after dispute over election wording
Summary
The Ascension Parish Planning Commission agreed to add a discussion of election procedures to its next agenda and form a three-member bylaws committee after commissioners objected that Feb. 11 minutes did not reflect a two‑thirds election requirement for chair.
The Ascension Parish Planning Commission voted on March 11 to amend its Feb. 11 minutes and asked staff to place a formal discussion of election procedures on the next agenda, the chair said.
The chair told commissioners the commission had received a legal memorandum outlining options for handling elections and requested that Director of Planning and Development Eric Poche schedule an agenda item so the commission could discuss how it wants to select leadership. "I would like politely ask Mr. Poche for next meeting to put an agenda item that we as a commission have the ability to discuss this type of procedure," the chair said.
The issue surfaced during the approval of minutes for the Feb. 11 meeting. A commissioner objected to approving the minutes as written, saying the commission’s bylaws require a two‑thirds majority of the entire voting commission to elect a chair and that the minutes did not reflect that requirement. "The election stuff is on there and the bylaws request a two thirds majority vote from the entire voting commission," the commissioner said.
Parish attorney Spencer Long confirmed the relevant bylaw appears to require a two‑thirds vote and recommended an amendment to the minutes that notes a chairman was not properly elected under the bylaw so the record matches the commission’s rules. "That does appear to be accurate," Long said.
Commissioners agreed to form a three‑person bylaws committee, give it a two‑month timeframe to consider changes and bring recommendations back for a vote; the chair said any adopted changes would take effect for the 2027 term unless the commission decided otherwise. The substitute motion to approve the amended minutes passed unanimously.
Why it matters: The change clarifies process for choosing the commission’s leadership and creates a formal path to amend internal rules. The committee’s work will determine whether the commission keeps separate chair/vice‑chair elections for planning and for zoning or adopts a different approach.
Next steps: Staff will place a discussion item on the next meeting agenda and the commission will select three members for the bylaws committee; the committee is expected to report back within two months.
