Minutes 09-09-2013 - Laserfiche WebLink

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have the planning items at regular board meetings, but there are differing opinions on where the Planning Board fits in. He said the Board has discussed having all meetings on Granicus, so this is an irrelevant point. He said if there will not be quarterly hearings, there should be 4 more regular Commissioner meetings. He said he would never want to cut the Planning Board out of hearing the public prior to making a recommendation. He said decisions on recommendations are often influenced and shaped by public hearing input. He said the Board would have more control over public hearing items if the items came up at regular meetings, because the Chair and Vice-chair would have more time to review them. He said he was blind-sided by this topic, and he does not like that it came up this way. He said a process where Commissioners have more control over what comes before them would be more satisfactory. His suggestion is that staff takes the feedback from the Commissioners and comes back with an amalgam of something similar to one of the current proposals. He said this would need to fit into the calendar and fit with the need to be transparent. He said the Planning Board should be involved. Perdita Holtz said she has heard that the Board does not want a different process for Agriculture Support Enterprises. She said that if this is the case the process amendments will be divorced from Agriculture Support Enterprises, and this will be its own item moving forward. Frank Clifton said there are no other governments in the state of North Carolina that are more transparent than Orange County He said that the current process costs applicants time and money to even be part of the process, regardless of the outcome. He said landowners come forward with a request that is a no brainer but that person still has to wait 3 to 5 months for a decision. He said the other thing to keep in mind is that the development activity has lessened greatly, but the wait time has stayed the same due to the process. Commissioner Price said it is also difficult for people when the public hearings fall near a holiday. Chair Jacob said this is just another argument for more flexibility. Commissioner Gordon said she hopes the pendulum doesn't swing in the direction of having public hearings every meeting. She is glad that the Board would not make decisions on the same night, as this keeps things transparent. She said that this issue should be considered carefully. She said she does feel that the Board should approve the notice, as it tells the Board what is coming up and keeps the notices transparent. She said it is not always evident from the draft public notice what the item means, and the commissioners can correct that when they approve the notice She said that if there is concern about a quorum, the planning board could be at the meeting but without a required quorum, and the recommendation could come afterward. Chair Jacobs suggested a built in schedule where every third meeting or second meeting a public hearing would be scheduled. He suggested that the Board consider whether public hearings should occur earlier in the agenda. He said this would better allow the Planning Board and members of the public to participate. Commissioner Gordon would urge that the Board not always have the public hearing in one part of the County. A motion was made Commissioner Price, seconded by Commissioner Gordon to adjourn the meeting at 10:20. VOTE: UNANIMOUS Barry Jacobs, Chair