Agenda - 12-13-2016-13-3 - Information Item - Memorandum - Joint Planning Agreement – Chapel Hill Planning Commission Membership

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6 Staff Memorandum Public Hearing— 10/17/2016 %%,nPo• ��,+ Overview: On June 27., 20161 the Town Council requested that staff develop a Land Use Management Ordinance Text Amendment to add an additional Chapel Hill resident seat, appointed by the Town Council, to the Planning Commission membership. Planning staff believes the addition of a Chapel Hill resident seat will enable the Planning Commission to conduct its business in a more timely and effective manner. Recommendations: • Staff Recommendation: That the Council receive this report, open the public hearing, receive comments, and recess the public hearing to the November 21, 2016 Business Meeting. • Advisory Board/Commission Recommendations: Advisory Board/Commission Recommendation Notes/Edits Planning Commission ✓ The Commission's recommendation is attached. Community Design Commission Housing Advisory Board The Land Use Management Ordinance does not require these Boards and Commissions to review or Environment& Sustainability Board forward a recommendation on text amendments. Transportation& Connectivity Board Key: ✓: Approval recommended X: Denial recommended : Comments Fiscal Impact/Resources: There is no fiscal impact associated with this text amendment. EFFECT OF THE PROPOSAL The proposed amendment to the LUMO and the Council's Advisory Board Policy Manual will enable the Planning Commission(the Commission) to conduct its charge and business in a more timely and effective manner. Extended vacancies within the Planning Commission membership make it difficult for the commission to obtain a quorum of five members. Failure to achieve a quorum of members at a meeting delays the work of the commission. Adding a Town resident seat, appointed by the Town Council, will enable the commission to achieve a quorum on a more frequent basis thus allowing it to conduct its business with fewer delays. The Commission presently comprises nine seats, including seven seats for Town residents, one seat for a resident of the extra-territorial jurisdiction(ETJ), and one seat for a resident of the joint planning area(JPA) or the ETJ. Town Council appoints the Town resident seats, and the Orange County Board of County Commissioners appoints the ETJ and JPA seats. Recently, the ETJ and JPA seats have been vacant for an extended period of time, in effect reducing the membership from nine to seven, making the quorum of five difficult to obtain. The addition of a new Town resident seat will increase the chances that a quorum will be present should vacancies in the ETJ and JPA seats continue. 1,httpp.1.1.02.Yee.V. u.kgra.nicus.:.ca..JMediaPa.Yer::.p.Vhp. vo .......id.-7. 012.. i.d-2805 meta. .id.-1.3.3785.