Committee hears plan to align city zoning with Hamilton County as new in-house official takes lead

The Rules & Public Policy Committee reviewed a multi-step plan to update North College Hill's zoning rules and maps after staff changes placed zoning responsibility inside city administration. The City Administrator reported that, "Mr. Wallace... acquired his zoning certification so that he can take over our zoning," and that responsibilities previously outsourced through Bill Knight were transferred as of Aug. 1.

Committee members walked through the city's codified procedure, citing chapter 11 (including chapter 11-29 and 11-31) that requires planning commission review and a public comment period before council may vote on map or code amendments. The committee debated whether council and the planning commission can work in parallel for efficiency; the City Administrator said Hamilton County had advised that joint or overlapping review can be used for coordination, while council members reiterated that formal legislative action must follow planning commission recommendation.

Members asked staff to proceed cautiously: the City Administrator described the goal as a deliberate update to ordinances last substantially revised in 2007–2013 and emphasized coordinating with Hamilton County to produce recommendations that will then go to the planning commission and, ultimately, council. There were no formal motions or votes; members directed staff to continue collaboration and bring paper documentation to the planning commission first, then return to committee for further deliberation.