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In Recognition of Citizen Planners: Support Your Local Planning Commission
by Wendy Grey, AICP
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As commissioners and council members, elected city officials certainly don’t need to be told about the difficulty of dealing with growth and land-use issues in their city. After long hours preparing for meetings, running efficient and fair public hearings in a pressure-filled chamber, and suffering the abuse of angry residents, some even may question the wisdom of their decision to run for public office. At such times, it is important to remember that there are those who truly “share your pain” – the citizen planners who serve on city planning commissions.
After serving as a planning director for 10 years and subsequently attending planning commission meetings as a planning consultant, I continue to be amazed at the dedication of planning commissioners who willingly contribute their time to help elected officials make better decisions for their cities. While attorneys and other land-use professionals may volunteer to serve, most planning commissioners are true “laymen.” Before serving, most had never conducted a quasi-judicial hearing, never calculated a floor-area ratio, and certainly never had been publicly scolded for their unfeeling attitude and downright stupidity! Nevertheless, they accept these challenges, learn the ropes, and put in the time because of their commitment to their city. Here are a few ideas about how to benefit from your planning commissioners’ experience, and to make it a better one.
Select Planning Commissioners with Great Care
Being a planning commissioner is hard work. There is time spent reviewing the agenda, visiting project sites, and attending workshops and hearings. Some employers may help their employees accommodate this schedule, but many do not. Elected officials need to make sure that a potential commissioner will be able to put in the time to serve. If one or two planning commissioners tend to be absent frequently, it puts undue pressure on other commissioners to make sure there is a quorum and to do all the things that need to be done.
Being a planning commissioner means being part of a team. Planning commissions are collegial bodies. It helps to have people who are interested in working with other people, and who have some skills in building consensus.
Planning commissioners should bring their different perspectives to the table. Even in mid-size cities, most people really don’t know all there is to know about the city. Usually, people are most familiar with their neighborhood and the places they frequent. Appointing people from different parts of the city brings insight that helps the decision-making process. Local residents know about the special opportunities and challenges residents face, and can bring that to the discussion. Similarly, it helps to find people with different experiences, for example, professionally or culturally. People who view the same issue from different perspectives often can find solutions that otherwise would go unconsidered.
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Give Planning Commissioners the Skills to Do the Job Right
Elected officials know how beneficial it is for them to attend the various Florida League of Cities conferences and workshops. Similarly, city staff needs to receive ongoing training and education. And the same is true for planning commissioners. Consider having a budget, even a small one, for commissioner training. This could include books geared toward citizen planners, arranging for a connection to a national audio conference, or paying for their attendance at a special training. It also may be possible to bring speakers in for lunches or brief presentations at workshop meetings. Planning commissioners need more than just technical planning skills. Other topics to consider as part of training include processes and procedures, conflict resolution and team building. For some training examples, please see the “References” section at the end of this article.
Take Planning Commission Comments Seriously
Planning commissioners work closely with city staff to sort out complex issues and frame them in a meaningful way. In this regard, the planning commission serves as a “filter,” listening to staff, applicants and residents, and attempting to sort through all that input to make a fair and defensible recommendation to their elected officials. Elected officials not only owe it to their planning commissioners to understand what recommendations they made and why they made them, this knowledge also will help the elected officials frame the issues themselves and make more-informed decisions. Meeting agenda items should not just state the planning commission recommendation; they also should provide a concise and meaningful discussion of the issues raised at the planning commission meeting, regardless of the final vote.
Conversely, I frequently hear planning commissioners complain that they spend considerable time and energy working through an issue, and then never hear about it again – except possibly in the newspaper. It is important that the planning commission get feedback, especially when the city council or commission overrides a planning commission recommendation. This can be handled in a number of ways. One easy way is for each planning commission agenda to contain a summary of the elected officials’ final action on the items from the previous agenda. This summary can include a brief explanation of the elected officials’ actions, if necessary.
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Recognize and Thank Your Planning Commissioners
Contrary to the opinion of the general public, very few people are in public service for the “glory.” As elected officials know, public service means lots of hard work and little in the way of appreciation. I encourage all elected city officials to take the time to thank their planning commissioners for the work they do. Certainly, each should receive a letter of thanks when they step down. Consider adding an annual recognition as well. One of the references below is to annual Volunteer Recognition Week. Consider recognizing not just planning commissioners, but all those who serve on city boards and commissions.
Look into what sort of benefits your city offers planning commissioners. Some get a small stipend, some get dinner before the public hearing, some may get a mileage reimbursement, and some get nothing at all. See if your budget can accommodate a reward that makes their job easier, even if it is just some light refreshments for a long meeting.
The four steps listed in this article can help elected city officials truly benefit from the work of their planning commission, and let the planning commissioners know how much their work is appreciated.
References
The Planning Commissioners Journal is a quarterly magazine written specifically for citizen planners. There are special subscription rates for small cities. The journal also has a very informative Web page.
For information on American Planning Association’s audio conferences for elected and appointed planning officials, please visit their Web site. Click on “Conferences and Workshops,” then click on “Audio Conferences.”
Click here for information on National Volunteer Week and general information on volunteer appreciation.
Wendy Grey, AICP, is a planning and land-use consultant. Previously she was director of the Tallahassee-Leon County Planning Department for 10 years and worked for the Florida Department of Community Affairs. For the Florida League of Cities, Grey provides educational programs on planning and growth management to League members and analyzes the impact of proposed planning legislation on cities. For more information, she may be contacted by phone at (850) 566-0155, or via e-mail.
Reprinted from Quality Cities March/April 2005
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