Subject:
Title
Board Direction, Re: Combining the meeting schedules of the Planning & Zoning Board and the Local Planning Agency.
End
Fiscal Impact:
None
Dept/Office:
Planning and Development
Requested Action:
Recommendation
It is requested that the Planning & Zoning Board / Local Planning Agency make a recommendation to the Board of County Commissioners to combine the P&Z Board meetings and LPA meetings into one meeting per month and approve the attached schedule(s).
End
Summary Explanation and Background:
The Planning and Zoning Board (P&Z) typically meets the 2nd Monday of the month, and the Local Planning Agency (LPA) typically meets the 4th Monday of the month. There are no apparent legal requirements for these boards to conduct separate meetings. In many cases, they switch from the P&Z board to the LPA during the same meeting when hearing Small-Scale Comprehensive Plan Amendments with associated rezoning applications.
The combination of the two meetings into one monthly meeting seems to provide the opportunity for many benefits. One monthly meeting would allow for a more efficient use of P&Z/LPA members, applicants, and staff time. The more efficient use of the members’ time may improve meeting attendance. In addition, one monthly meeting may help Commissioners find volunteers to serve. It will increase turnaround time for preparing BCC agenda after the LPA meeting which currently is less than 5 days.
Since Section 62- 151 requires the LPA’s recommendation to the Board of County Commissioners for code changes and Comprehensive Plan Amendments, the change will cause some internal scheduling adjustments for staff taking these items through the legislative process.
The proposed P&Z/LPA meeting schedule, if approved, would generally be the second Monday of the month. The month of May 2022 would need to remain as separate P&Z and LPA meetings.
Board of County Commission approval to amend the meeting schedule is required by Section 62-184(b) of the Zoning Code.
Clerk to the Board Instructions:
None