City Manager Lee Gilmour presented a review of two city organizations, one of which was the Planning Commission. Gilmour expressed that he believed the process for member selection for this commission, in which council members and the mayor appoint the members, was important. Additionally, Gilmour expressed the importance of who was selected to serve, citing that under the state law and city ordinance, members may only be removed from the board for cause with the exception of the end of a term.
Gilmour stated that there were details provided by Director of Community Development Bryan Wood, as well as suggestions proposed by Wood, of which Gilmour said, the administration agreed with most. The suggestions and recommendations from administration that were discussed included that council enforce the attendance policy for the commission, to retain the elected official appointment process, mandatory training, and semiannual meetings with the council, the commission and the appropriate staff. Another suggestion was that the director of community development prepares an outline of commissioner duties and has an orientation for new members.
“I think that could be a very good idea. A lot of times our volunteers come in with the best of intentions but they’re not sure what they need to do. So this orientation would be a very good idea,” Gilmour expanded.
Other proposed suggestions that were discussed included a suggested list of candidates be provided by the director of community development, though the final decision would lie with the elected official who is appointing. Gilmour later emphasized that the elected official could choose from the list of candidates or appoint someone that was not on the list; if they felt that it was appropriate, as long as the appointee fit the criteria to serve.
One point that was brought forward by Councilwoman Joy Peterson was another suggestion made by Wood, which was relative to the consideration of term limits for members of the commission. Gilmour said that he had considered that recommendation, and that it had been fortunate to have the planning commission operating without term limits. According to Gilmour, even with training, it could take time for a member to obtain a good sense of what is going on and the factors involved in the decisions that members of commission are responsible for making.
Peterson also brought forward the subject of attendance, basing her question on the attendance report provided for the year of 2019, noting that there were members who did not meet the 75% attendance rate, asking if those members would be removed for cause. Wood answered the question, stating that it was ultimately the decision of council, but also gave the example that council could meet with the individual and discuss the reason why they missed meetings before making a determination on the issue.
Mayor Randall Walker noted that there needed to be a defined process in place as to how to handle the matter of attendance, including issues such as the frequency of which the attendance was reported, who would need to be notified—the council member who appointed or council itself—and also noted if that someone was to be removed for the reason of attendance, then he believed the recommendation should come from the council member responsible for the appointment.
City Manager Lee Gilmour stated that the administration would follow up on the comments from council.
Gilmour also brought before council a recommendation regarding septic tank criteria. According to Gilmour, the recommendations have to do with the times when councils may be approached for approval of authorizing septic tanks for individual lots. In a memo by Gilmour, he stated that the city had recently been approached with the question of permitting lots to be sold which would be served by septic tanks.
“In general terms, the city is not in favor of that, because of some problems that come up later with maintenance. However, there could be particular circumstances where that would be beneficial,” Gilmour noted during the work session. The memo expanded on this concept, pointing to situations that could depend on factors such as topography, market demand and land configurations. Gilmour later voiced, in his address to council, that there may be some areas of the city where this could be a request.
Gilmour additionally mentioned that the recommendation would have council consider approval of these situations subject to proposed criteria. This criteria included the parcel of land being considered was zoned R-1, single family residential, each lot would be no less that the minimum lot size permitted by the current Houston County Board of Health regulations for septic tanks served with a community water system, and each lot must be served by a city of Perry water meter. Also in the criteria set forth by Gilmour was that there must be a prepared overall plan for servicing the lots with sewer service, that this plan must be approved by council prior to the approval of the plan and that there must be a statement that runs with the title which indicates that the owner would be required to connect with the city’s sewer system once it becomes available.
Council concurred unanimously with the proposal and gave permission to move forward with a formal resolution.
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