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Planning commissioners briefed on ethics, ex parte rules and land‑development basics
Summary
City legal staff and planning managers trained commissioners on quasi‑judicial duties, ex parte communications, Colorado open‑records and meetings laws, conflicts and gift rules, and local land‑development code basics ahead of the Midtown Centennial planning update.
Jill Haspin of the city attorney's office and Michael Grama, the community development planning manager, gave Centennial’s Planning and Zoning Commission a detailed refresher on legal duties, ethics and how the land development code guides commission work.
The training, delivered at the commission’s April 8 meeting, walked through the commission’s two primary functions — advisory legislative work and quasi‑judicial decision‑making — and stressed the difference. Haspin told commissioners that quasi‑judicial cases require impartiality and that “ex parte communications are strictly prohibited” because outside contact can taint a hearing record.
Grama explained the practical consequences for commissioners: ask questions into the record rather than offer testimony, rely on staff reports and the packet as the evidentiary record, and avoid discussions outside posted meetings. “You can do that and we can even say it on the record, that, you know, I was approached,” Haspin said, describing how to disclose off‑record contacts when they occur.
The presentation also reviewed Colorado’s public‑records and open‑meetings laws. Haspin said the Colorado Open Records Act covers a broad set of public materials and cautioned commissioners that replying‑all in email threads that discuss public business can create an unposted meeting under the open‑meetings law.
On ethics, staff flagged conflicts of interest and recusal procedures and reminded commissioners that Centennial’s rules do not permit abstentions in votes: “Abstaining is something that we don't allow in this city,” Grama said. The presenters recommended disclosing possible conflicts early and calling the legal office for guidance.
The session covered gifts and accepted exceptions, noting nominal items can be allowed but gifts from interested developers require scrutiny. Staff urged commissioners to call legal if they are unsure whether to accept a gift.
The training closed with a reminder about staff reports and the development‑review process: read the packet, ask questions that enter information into the public record, and coordinate with staff when a project may be contentious. The commission then approved the consent agenda and scheduled the next meeting for April 22.
The presentation was intended as a practical guide for newly seated commissioners and as a refresher for veteran members, helping the body manage due process, transparency and public trust as it reviews future land‑use applications.
