Planning and Zoning holds training session

The Planning and Zoning Commission met for the first time in 2017 on Tuesday with an agenda that included a single permit application and a training session for the assembled members.

In addition to the agenda items, the commission elected officers for 2017. Karl Mounger was unanimously re-elected as the chairman of the body. He will be joined by vice chair Judy Nation and returning secretary Kolin Blakely as 2017 officers.

There was very little discussion on the single planning item on the agenda, as the applicant requested his lot split development permit be tabled. The permit had previously been tabled at the Nov. 8 meeting.

The remainder of the meeting served as a training session for the commissioners. The training focused on the different kinds of decisions the commissioners made. City Administrator Phillip Patterson walked the members through some of the legal requirements of the body, with an eye toward keeping the city out of potential lawsuits.

Patterson also asked commissioners to make sure they specified their reasoning when making dissenting votes. Previously, Mounger had asked commissioners to give reasoning behind their votes on some high-profile decisions.

Commissioner J.W. Smith asked Patterson for some guidance for the group on the topic of variance permits. Smith said it was well known that he did not like awarding variance permits to companies, as he said they should pick a lot they can use without needing exceptions from city code.

Patterson said the permits were there for a reason and that one of the requirements is the hardship that requires the permit cannot be self-caused. Patterson said another factor was whether or not the hardship was unique to the property in question.

Patterson thanked the commissioners for their service, which he said often went on behind the scenes and without much input or appreciation.

City Senior Planner Ben Rhoads then gave a presentation on the responsibilities and authority of the commission. The presentation was the first in what Rhoads said was a proposed set of quarterly training sessions set up by Community Services Director Don Clark.