Agenda - 10-20-2015 - 6a - Minutes

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8 1 said he understands the desire to make the process go more smoothly but the BOCC received 2 a letter today from the public that found these new amendments confusing. 3 Commissioner Jacobs said the notion that there would be no public notice for a quasi- 4 judicial hearing goes against the Board's social justice goals. He said people need to be 5 engaged or at least notified, and it is inconsistent with the values of Orange County. 6 Commissioner Jacobs said he trusts the County Manager but finds that one-year 7 reviews get lost in the shuffle over the years; they simply never happen. 8 Commissioner Jacobs said there are ways to deal with those wanting to come to a public 9 hearing and change the nomenclature of how hearings are noticed and what comments are 10 allowed. 11 Commissioner Jacobs said the public wants elected officials to know what they are 12 thinking. He said the County should be careful before adopting this amendment. He said 13 expedition is good but not at the expense of information gathering. 14 Commissioner Jacobs said he is still uncomfortable with some of these changes. 15 Commissioner Dorosin said he agreed and disagreed with Commissioner Price and 16 Commissioner Jacobs. 17 Commissioner Dorosin said if these amendments were in place tonight, the Board of 18 County Commissioners could approve these items. He said he finds this flexibility to be a good 19 thing. 20 Commissioner Dorosin said notification is important and the public should be able to 21 attend and listen, even if speaking is not permitted. 22 Commissioner Dorosin clarified that his initial concern was that currently the residents do 23 not have the last word. He said after the public speaks the item goes back to the Planning 24 Board. He said the desire is to engage residents earlier in the process, hopefully encouraging 25 more to go to the Planning Board meetings. He said then the public can come to the QPH and 26 will get to address the boards a second time. He said it would be ideal if the decision could then 27 be made. 28 Commissioner Dorosin said the BOCC can still retain the option to send it back to the 29 Planning Board, if need be, for legislative items. 30 Perdita Holtz agreed. 31 Commissioner Dorosin said he does not agree that the Planning Board is being cut out 32 of the process but that the public is being more engaged. 33 Commissioner Dorosin said the distinction between the legislative and quasi-judicial 34 proceedings is what is most confusing to the public. He said the staff should take the time to 35 explain this to the public through pamphlets, the Internet, or on the abstracts. He said staff 36 should build this into the process to make things more clear to the public. 37 Commissioner Dorosin said he would support the change in the structure. He said even 38 though it seems the process is being streamlined really the public is being engaged earlier in 39 the process. 40 Commissioner Rich agreed that after the public speak there is no a chance to dispute 41 what the Planning Board is recommending to the Board of County Commissioners. She said it 42 is important to engage the public throughout the process. 43 Commissioner Rich referred to page 3 and the closure of public hearings. She asked if 44 there is new evidence, should it not be referred back to Planning Board. 45 Perdita Holtz said that is for legislative items only, not quasi-judicial items. 46 Commissioner Rich said she just wanted to make sure that the BOCC, the Planning 47 Board, and the public all have the same information.