Minutes 09-09-2013 - Laserfiche WebLink

Browse Search

She said the current process also prevented these things from being loaded onto regular Board meeting agendas. She said you could hear an item at a separate hearing from the approval and this was important. It gives the public time to weigh in with the Planning Board and the Commissioners after the public hearing. She said she can see tweaks to the process, but she does not want to see the Planning Board cut out of making recommendations after the public has been heard. She thinks it is also important for the BOCC to approve notices. She said all of this policy is in the interest of transparency, and she supports the current process. She urged the Board not to change this process in any major way. Commissioner Pelissier said she agrees with the need for a transparent process. She also thinks it is time to look at the quarterly public hearings because she is aware that there are things that are not working. She noted that there are often meetings with a delayed start due to lack of quorum. She noted that if the hearings were held at Commissioners' meeting, then Planning Board members would not have to be there, but could come if desired. She said the meetings would be recorded and available for Planning Board members to access. She said if a meeting is held and the Board does not vote on the same night, then that gives transparency. She said the recording process also makes it more transparent. She said she feels that if this change is made, it should not be just for Agriculture Support. She said she would like to have the Planning Board recommendation after the public hearing. Commissioner Dorosin said he likes process 2. He said he does not like the current quarterly public hearing model. He said these items could come up in a meeting. He said anything that expedites the process is advantageous. He favors the Planning Board recommendation in advance of the public hearing. He feels this is a model that works. He said a Planning Board member can present at the public hearing and additional input can be asked for since the voting will not be the same night. He thinks the process can be streamlined and option 2 makes the most sense. Commissioner Price said her issue with number 2 is that the Planning Board does not get comments from the public before making a recommendation. Commissioner Dorosin said he views the Planning Board as the Board's experts and the public comments come to the Commissioners, and these comments don't need to be filtered by the Planning Board. Commissioner Rich noted that the Planning Board meetings are open to the public. She said that if the comments of the public don't mesh with the recommendations of the Planning Board the issue can always be referred back to them. She said she does not like the process of quarterly public hearings, and she does not think that it works. She does not know why these cannot be put into regular meetings. She feels that the process would be quicker. Commissioner Price said during her time on the board, there would be public hearings during Planning Board meetings. She said information went on the record, and then it was passed to the Commissioners. She said this created a back and forth process that prolonged things. She would like to see this fixed. Commissioner McKee said he would not support voting on an issue the same night the public hears about it; however he does agree that the process needs to be changed. He said he does not understand the justification of a legal ad having to come back to the Board for approval. He said the County has a very competent staff that is capable of putting out a legitimate ad without need of Board approval. He said there are some tweaks that can happen to move this process along further. He said there is the perception in the community that this process is used to slow down and obstruct the process. Chair Jacobs said he has heard the majority of the Board say that the process needs to be shortened. He said there are differences of opinion regarding the necessity of the quarterly hearings and whether these still function as designed. He said there is some sentiment is to