Agenda - 01-22-2015 - 6a - Laserfiche WebLink

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 I Commissioner Gordon said her suggestion about waiting to vote is in reference to the first time a major public hearing is held. She said it is okay to decide something tonight for this item. She said the Board needs to be careful about having too many categories of hearings, each with a different process, because it might be confusing to the public. Commissioner Price said the flow chart states that the public can come to the Planning Board prior to the public hearing. She asked if these comments will then be entered into the record of the public hearing. Perdita Holtz said the record only relates to the quasi - judicial process, but not the legislative process. She said the flow chart in the packet is related to the legislative process. Commissioner Price asked if this flow chart would be the same for both. Perdita Holtz said there would be a slightly different flowchart for quasi - judicial, but it would follow the same general cadence. Commissioner Price asked if the public would be invited to speak at the Planning Board meeting. Perdita Holtz said the public would not be invited to speak, but there would possibly be an opportunity for comment. She said all of this has not been worked out. Commissioner Price said she is just concerned with the Board having an opportunity to see these comments. Perdita Holtz said there is not really a record of comments at public hearings for legislative items. She said the comments show up in the minutes, just as comments show up in the Planning Board minutes. Commissioner Price referred to item 1 in the bottom blue section of the flowchart on page 18. She asked when the public would be making comments if the item is not to be listed in the meeting agenda. Perdita Holtz said it would be listed as a regular item or a consent agenda item, but it would not be listed under the public hearing section. Commissioner Price said if it is on the consent agenda, the Commissioners may not know that there is someone in the audience who wants to speak. Perdita Holtz said the public can sign up, or the Chair can ask if anyone wishes to speak before the consent agenda. Chair Jacobs said he has never seen a planning item on the consent agenda. Commissioner Pelissier said the recommendation is to stick with the quarterly public hearings. She said this proposal solves the public input issue but not the timing issue. She sees that the roadblock is that you have to provide information 10 days before a quarterly public hearing, whereas you only have 4 days if a public hearing is added to a regular meeting. She questioned whether it might be possible, for legislative public hearings, to provide information on the website 10 days before, and then incorporate it in the agenda 4 days before. Perdita Holtz said there is no actual requirement to have it available 10 days in advance, but that is the practice that Orange County has had for 20 years. Commissioner Pelissier said she would like to find a way to do this. She would like to find a way to have the legislative public hearing items be more frequent than just quarterly. Perdita Holtz said it would be possible to have a section of the website that would allow for complete items to be listed ahead of the agenda. Commissioner Pelissier said she would like to try the new process with the 8 public hearings and see how it goes. Commissioner Gordon said it seems to her that Commissioner Pelissier's comments about the notices for public hearings are well taken. She said it is important with legislative items, like re- zonings, to give 10 days of notice for the public hearings.