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Commissioners debate rule letting planning commission appointees serve outside their district
Summary
A proposed amendment that would allow county commissioners to appoint planning commission members who are not from their district sparked debate; supporters said it retains experienced volunteers, opponents warned it undermines district representation.
Commissioners debated a proposed change to Article 6.3(a) of the land-use ordinance that would allow a county commissioner to appoint a planning commission board-of-adjustment member who is not strictly from the commissioner’s district. One commissioner said the change would allow them to keep a highly qualified appointee who is moving out of the district; another argued the long-standing district-based appointment system (in place since the 2009 joint commission arrangement) should remain to respect local representation.
Planning staff and one commissioner said state statute is ambiguous on residency requirements; Commissioner Lubcke said he researched the matter and could not find a statutory requirement that an appointee be from the district or even from the county, and urged keeping district representation. The committee did not adopt a final position and staff will forward the ordinance package to the full board for final action on May 27.
