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Crow Wing County planning commission adopts earlier meeting time, effective March
Summary
The Crow Wing County Planning Commission voted to move its regular monthly meeting start from 5:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., with supporters citing staff scheduling and safety and some members raising concerns about in-person public testimony for working residents.
Rebecca Best, chair of the Crow Wing County Planning Commission and Board of Adjustment, opened the commission's Feb. 20 meeting and the panel voted to amend its rules of business to change regular meeting starts to 3:00 p.m., effective with the March 20 meeting.
Chris, planning staff, framed the proposal as a staff-driven efficiency and safety measure, saying, "We're proposing to change the meeting time from 5PM to 3PM... it puts the meeting time along the regular work hours for staff," and noting IT availability and potential cost savings. Committee member Rock pushed back, warning that earlier starts could limit in-person public testimony: "People traveling a lot of times from the cities... there's gonna be a number of people that work until 5 or 4 that are not gonna be able to attend this meeting and provide public testimony." Other members said remote participation by Teams mitigates those concerns and that applicants typically have advance notice to request time off.
The commission moved to adopt the rule change and the motion carried. The chair confirmed the change will take effect for the March 20 meeting. The board said staff will continue to offer both in-person and online testimony options and noted the change will be posted on the County's Land Services calendar and in future agendas.
