04/12/1976 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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_.._._---~.-..~-- . , ----. .---- -- City Attorney distributed current Code provisions as well as State law, including changes made in 1975 which increase local government control over planning comRUssions and their organization. .- Also distributed was the form used in the past for Commission applicants, as wel) as the current form used for applying 'for positions on all boards and cOzmUssions. Nr. Bradley wondered if geographic representation would be required because of any federal funding the Planning Commission might receive; for instance, might it apply on rezoning matters in areas of urban renewal. It was understood staff would pursue and bring back an answer. Mr. Hamel stated that, when first contacted by Mr. Murray, he thought that geographic distribution had merit; but, after further consideration, he is disturbed about choosing members from each ward. First of all,. he said, the ci ty as a whole is represented by the total Ci ty Council, elected on a ward basis, who is charged with giving attention to each ward and to the city as a whole. He feels that selecting planning corranissioners on a ward basis would be "tying it down too much". What would happen if no one wished to run from a certain area, he wondered. I ! I Mr. Murray referred to Mrs. Niven's comments at the last Committee meeting, feeling they could not have been objective since she served so long on the Planning Commission. He takes exception to comments he has heard that the Planning Corranission has always been fair. He also noted difficulty with cohesiveness when there were only four Council wards and each council member covered a large area. Tqo, he feels the Ci ty Council should take issue with any remarks that a ward system creates parochialism. He disagrees strongly, especially when considering his time spent on community goals, ridgeline study, etc. - Mrs. Shi rey is concerned wi th the fact that the Planning Comrnissionnow is not representative of the city. She is not convinced that the Council would really keep all factors in mind at interview tirre if different criteria were determined each time a vacancy arose. The ward system seems the best to her so far, as she is 1OC1St concerned with "representation". Mr. H~ws feels geographic distribution is desirable, though not necessarily on a ward basis. More attention needs to be given the percentage of the population that feels neglected, he said; and, from a public relations standpoint, it would be wise to give them reason to think there is an objective decision being made. Mrs. Beal felt all Council members shared her op~n~on that the C01lllOOn objective is to have the best Planning Commission possible, even though that goal is being addressed in different ways by individual members. She noted, too, that the President of her local neighborhood group called her to say their executive board favored geographic representation. She felt the very fact that she received the phone call indicated a Planning Commission member, under a ward system, could also be phoned and requested to take certain actions. Mr. Hamel could see possible political hassles with a ward sljstem, but Mrs. Shirey has higher hopes for how people will behave. -~ Mr. Bradley favors some geographic distribution - whether it be planning districts or wards, and feels that the Planning Commission should be non-political. ~()3 4/12/76 - 30