Published: November 01, 2009 05:25 pm      

Council considers commission cutbacks

By TESA CULLI

tesa.culli@register-news.com

MT. VERNON — The council will be discussing a reduction in the number of members of the Zoning and Planning Commission during its regular meeting tonight.

“Members of the commission felt that 11 members was getting too onerous,” City Manager Ron Neibert said. “The decision to discuss the number of members happened after the mayor and city council consulted with the commission.”

The Zoning and Planning Commission now has eight active members with three positions up for appointment: Wendell Yaegar, Jeff May, Robert Herr, Larry Griffin, Charles Jones, Dean Dickerson, David Dominguez and Robert Feltmeier. Members of the commission serve for five year terms. The commission hears requests on conditional uses, signage, and zoning issues and permits from residents and businesses within the community and makes recommendations to the city council for action.

In June 2006, the Planning Commission and the Zoning Commission were merged to make the single entity it is today. Prior to the merge, each of the two commissions had seven members.

Tonight, the council will consider changing the number of members of the Planning and Zoning Commission to nine members, making it easier to gather a quorum for meetings, Neibert said. If the council changes the number, there is still one appointment that will need to be made to the commission.

Members of the commission can be removed if they fail to attend two consecutive meetings, or four meetings in a 12 month period under the existing ordinance. Neibert said anyone who is interested in serving on the Planning and Zoning Commission should contact Mayor Mary Jane Chesley to express their interest.

In other business, the council will:

Receive bid results for a 1-ton dump truck though the state bid;

Hear bid results for two monitor/defibrillators for the fire department;

Hear a request to seek bids for two police squad cars;

Hear a request for reallocation of funds for the budget; and

Hold a second reading on a conditional use permit for a home day care at 1102 S. 25th St.

The council will meet at 7 p.m. tonight at the Rolland Lewis Community Building located in Veter-ans Park.