(A) Organization of the Planning Commission.
(1) The Planning Commission shall consist of five members and one alternate member appointed by the City Council. The alternate member shall attend meetings of the Planning Commission and shall be authorized to act as a voting member of the Planning Commission in the event a regular member is not in attendance at the meeting, or in the event a regular member elects not to act on an issue due to a conflict of interest. In the event Planning Commission members and/or the alternate member are unable to attend meetings of the Planning Commission, and there are not enough regular or alternate members present at a meeting to constitute a quorum, the City Council liaison, or other City Council member(s) designated by the Mayor, may act as members of the Planning Commission and may act as voting members of the Planning Commission until such time as Planning Commission members or alternate Planning Commission members arrive in sufficient numbers to constitute a quorum. In the event the City Council liaison, or other representative(s) of the City Council serves and participates in a Planning Commission meeting, that person(s) shall not be compensated for that meeting.
(2) The Commission shall elect a Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson from its members for a term of one year.
(3) The Commission shall meet the first Tuesday of each month, at a regular meeting unless the docket is empty in which case the Zoning Administrator or Chairperson can approve suspension of a meeting. Public hearings shall be advertised in the official newspaper and posted in the City Hall at least ten days in advance of the meeting.
(4) Each member of the Planning Commission shall be appointed for a term of four years. Terms shall be staggered.
(B) Duties and responsibilities of the Planning Commission under this chapter.
(1) To hold hearings after proper public notice in the official newspaper and individual notice by regular mail of any property owners within a minimum of 350 feet of any land use in question. Such notices shall be given at least ten days before the hearing date.
(2) To decide within the required time frame the following:
(a) Recommendations to the City Council regarding requested zoning district boundary changes or amendments to this chapter;
(b) To review and provide recommendations to the City Council on proposed plats and to provide recommendations on final plats to the City Council;
(c) To review and approve all metes and bounds property divisions within the city that results in parcels that are under ten acres;
(d) To review and provide recommendations to the City Council on requests for conditional use permits and interim use permits with complete findings to justify the decision;
(e) To periodically review the zoning map and ordinances and consider their role in shaping the growth of the community and to recommend changes to the City Council of these documents to guide growth and current land use toward the goals of the Comprehensive Plan;
(f) To review past actions and direct future actions of the Zoning Administrator;
(g) To recommend on a timely basis that the City Council review the Comprehensive Plan when appropriate; and
(h) To keep a record of the proceedings, notifications and justifications for their actions.
(3) It shall be the duty of each individual member to be present at all meetings of the Planning Commission and Board of Adjustment. More than three absences in any one-year period shall be grounds for replacement by the City Council.
(Ord. 906-2011, passed - -2011; Ord. 906, 1st Series, passed 11-10-2015; Ord. 906, 1st Series, passed 2-28-2017; Ord. 02-22, passed 2-8-2022; Ord. 23-01, passed 2-14-2023)