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The Lexington Planning Commission approved several amendments to its bylaws at its May 11 meeting.
The first amendment was recommended by City Attorney Jeremy Carroll following an update to the city’s conflicts of interest section of the city’s code of conduct, which would bring the Planning Commission’s bylaws in line with Virginia state code regarding conflicts of interest.
The amendment also notes procedure for if the Commission’s chair has a conflict of interest, which would require them to recuse themselves. In that scenario, the Commission’s vice chair will act as the chair for the issue in question. If the vice chair is also required to recuse themselves, a majority of the remaining members will designate a chairperson.
City planner Arne Glaeser also proposed an amendment as a point of parliamentary procedure to codify the fact that the Commission follows Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised in Brief as the guide by which meetings are conducted.
Commissioner John Driscoll proposed amendments to the three sections of the purpose section of the bylaws to include text indicating that the Commission is responsible for recommendations to City Council on amendments to the city’s subdivision code and zoning code and to make recommendations to Council on revisions, updates and adoption of the comprehensive plan. Those responsibilities are listed in the city code as part of the Planning Commission’s duties, but had not been previously codified in the commission’s bylaws.
Driscoll also noted that the sections of the city code referenced in each section of the purpose statement were outdated and needed to be changed.
All of the amendments were approved in a 6-0 vote. The amendments will come before Lexington City Council for final approval at Council’s June 1 meeting.
