(A) Establishment. Pursuant to City Charter § 2.02, there is hereby established a Planning Commission.
(B) Duties. The Commission will perform the duties imposed on it by the zoning and subdivision regulations, and by the Minnesota Municipal Planning Act. The Commission is the planning agency of the city designated pursuant to Minn. Stat. § 462.354, as it may be amended from time to time.
(C) Members. The Planning Commission shall consist of nine members who are appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by the City Council. The City Attorney, Zoning Administrator, Community/Economic Development Director and one member of the City Council may be ex-officio members without the right to vote.
(1) All vacancies on the Planning Commission shall be advertised for 30 days after a seat becomes open, or before the expiration of a member(s) term.
(2) Vacancies shall be advertised as a vacancy in the ward(s) with the lowest number of representatives.
(3) If the open seat(s) cannot be filled by a representative from the desired ward after 30 days, the seat may be designated as “at-large.”
(D) Terms. The term of a member is three years. Members will hold offices until March of their expiring term or until their successors are appointed and qualified.
(E) Absences. The Secretary of the Commission will notify the Council when a member has three consecutive unexcused absences from the regular monthly Commission meetings. Upon receipt of the notice by the Council, the office of that member may be considered vacant.
(F) Organization. The Commission will elect a chair from among its members for a term of one year, and may create other offices as it deems necessary. The City Manager will appoint a person to act as Secretary of the Commission. The Commission will hold the number of meetings necessary to transact its business. It will adopt rules for the transaction of business. A quorum for the purpose of making recommendations to the City Council is a majority of all the voting members of the Commission. The Commission will keep a record of its resolutions and acts.
(G) Official map. The Commission, with the assistance of the Zoning Administrator may prepare an official map of the city streets and future street extensions in the city.
(H) Special meetings; charges. To defray administrative costs of special meetings of the Commission, a fee will be paid by the person requesting the meeting. The fee is set pursuant to § 34.03.
(I) The Planning Commission shall act in a purely advisory manner to the City Council, making its recommendations in all cases referred to it and transmitting its recommendations to the City Council for final action.
(Ord. 21-017, passed 11-22-2021)