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HomeMy WebLinkAboutNo 882 Amending Division 4. Planning Commission ORDINANCE NO. 882 AN ORDINANCE AMENDING DIVISION 4. PLANNING COMMISSION The Maplewood city council approved the following changes to the Maplewood Code of Ordinances. DIVISION 4. PLANNING COMMISSION* Sec. 2-246. Established. The city council establishes for the city a planning commission as an advisory board to the city council, as provided in Minn. Stats. §§ 462.351-- 462.364. (Code 1982, § 25-17) Sec. 2-247. Advisory body; exceptions. All actions of the advisory planning commission shall be in the nature of recommendations to the city council, and the commission shall have no final authority about any matters, except as the council may lawfully delegate authority to it. (Code 1982, § 25-18) State law reference-- City planning agency to be advisory, except as otherwise provided by state statute or charter, Minn. Stats. § 462.354, subd. 1. Sec. 2-248. Composition; appointment; qualifications; terms. (a) The planning commission shall have nine members appointed by the city council. The members shall be residents of the city and may not hold an elected city public office. When possible, the council shall select commission members to represent the various areas of the city and to help meet the needs of the residents. (b) The city council shall appoint members of the planning commission for three-year terms. The city shall divide the membership into three groups of three members each. The terms of the three members in the same group shall end in the same year. If the appointment is to fill a vacancy, the appointment would be to finish the unexpired part of the vacated terms. All terms shall expire on December 31 of the year in which the appointment ends. (Code 1982, § 25-19) Sec. 2-249. Chairperson and vice-chairperson. The planning commission shall elect a chairperson and a vice-chairperson each year during the first planning commission meeting in June. The chairperson shall be responsible for calling and presiding at meetings and shall have an equal vote with other members of the commission. If the chairperson is not at a meeting, the vice-chairperson shall assume the duties of the chairperson for that meeting. If the chairperson resigns from or is otherwise no longer on the planning commission, the vice-chairperson shall become the acting chairperson until the planning commission can hold an election for new officers. (Code 1982, § 25-20) State law references--Municipal planning, Minn. Stats. § 462.351 et seq,; city planning agency, Minn. Stats. § 462.354, subd. 1; metropolitan government, Minn. Stats. ch. 473; Ramsey County included within “metropolitan area” over which “metropolitan council” has jurisdiction, Minn. Stats. § 473.121, subds. 2, 3; metropolitan land use planning, Minn. Stats. § 473.851 et seq. ADMINISTRATION Sec. 2-250. Vacancies. (a) Any of the following may cause the office of a planning commissioner to become vacated: (1) Death or removal from the city. (2) Disability or failure to serve, as shown by failure to attend four meetings in any year, may be cause for removal by council majority, unless good cause can be shown to the council. (3) Resignation in writing. (4) Taking public office in the city. (b) Vacancies shall be filled by the council for the unexpired portion of the vacated term. (Code 1982, § 25-21) Sec. 2-251. Officers; meetings; rules of procedure. (a) The planning commission shall elect its own officers, establish regularly scheduled meeting times and dates in conjunction with the availability of city facilities and the meeting times of other groups as directed by the city manager, and adopt its own rules of procedure to be reviewed and approved by the city council. (b) All meetings of the planning commission shall be open to the public. (Code 1982, § 25-22) Sec. 2-252. Duties and responsibilities. The planning commission shall have the duty to: (1) Prepare and recommend a comprehensive plan of development for the city. (2) Conduct hearings and make recommendations to the city council about the adoption of the city comprehensive plan and any amendments thereto. The comprehensive plan certified and adopted by the city council shall be recognized as the city’s official comprehensive plan. (3) Study and make recommendations to the city council about implementing the comprehensive plan and any land use regulations. (4) Study and make recommendations to the city council about zoning code amendments. (5) Review, prepare and make a report to the city council by the second city council meeting in February of each year regarding the commission’s activities in the past year and major projects for the new year. (6) Maintain a liaison and coordination with government and private agencies so that the city council may be familiar with the planning activities of such agencies in order to establish an order of planning and development unity for the city. (7) Review and recommend, on or before June 30 of each year, a capital improvements program to the city council, which is designed to accomplish the comprehensive plan for the city. (8) Review and make recommendations to the city council on development applications, such as rezonings, conditional use permits, variances, vacations, preliminary plats and home occupation licenses. (9) Accept such other and further duties as may, from time to time, be directed by the city council, including conducting hearings. (Code 1982, § 25-23) Sec. 2-253. Compensation; expenses. All members of the planning commission shall serve without compensation. However, approved expenses of the planning commission shall be paid from available city funds. (Code 1982, § 25-24) Sec. 2-254. Responsibilities of city planning staff. Subject to the direction of the city manager, the planning commission and its chairperson, the city planning staff shall: (1) Conduct all correspondence of the commission. (2) Send out all required notices. (3) Attend all meetings and hearings of the commission. (4) Keep the dockets and minutes of the commission’s proceedings. (5) Keep all required records and files. (6) Maintain the files and indexes of the commission. (Code 1982, § 25-25) Sec. 2-255. Duties of city engineer, city attorney, city inspectors and other city employees. (a) The city engineer and the city attorney shall be available to the planning commission. The city engineer and attorney shall have the right to sit in with the commission at all meetings, but shall not be entitled to vote as members of the commission. (b) All city inspectors and other regular employees or personnel of the city shall cooperate with the planning commission and make themselves available and attend meetings when requested to do so. (Code 1982, § 25-26) Secs. 2-256—2-280. Reserved. The Maplewood City Council approved this ordinance on September 10, 2007.