Public comments were invited to present to the commissioners their opinions on a proposal to reduce the Planning and Zoning board from nine members to seven and to shorten the residency requirement for members from five years to two years.
Under current rules, the commission is made up of nine representatives appointed by the chairman of the Board of Commissioners and confirmed by the full board. All representatives must be residents of Washington County, with limits on how many may live within larger incorporated cities. No more than one-third of members may come from an incorporated city with a population of 1,500 or more, and at least half must live outside any single city and its area of impact.
Members are required to have lived in Washington County for at least five years prior to appointment, though the proposal would reduce this requirement to two years. Appointed members serve four-year terms and may serve no more than two consecutive terms without a two-thirds concurrence of the board. Appointments are made in March, with terms beginning in April. Members serve without pay but are reimbursed for mileage. Vacancies are filled in the same manner as original appointments, and members may be removed for cause by a majority vote of the commissioners.
No decisions were made today, but will be discussed and voted on in a future meeting.
