Saratoga planning commission stuck in neutral

History repeated itself at the April 8 Saratoga planning commission meeting as board members continued to discuss their bylaws.

After compiling a list of bylaws from other municipalities, board members discussed several topics including term length and board procedures.

One of the controversies in the suggested bylaws are whether a member of the town council member can be a voting member on the planning commission. This was a topic of discussion at the Feb 2. planning commission as board member Chris Shannon, who was absent at said meeting, left a letter with proposed bylaws which included a suggestion that a council member should not be given the right to vote on the board. The board motioned and unanimously approved that a council member or an elected official could serve as a member of the planning commission but could not vote. Additionally, the board decided that the chairman would only be a voting member in case of a tied vote.

During the April 8 meeting, board members could not remember if they had voted on this issue and spent 10 minutes re-discussing a council person’s right to vote on the board.

Board member Bob Thrasher said he remembered voting on this issue, and that the planning commission needed to progress forward.

“We are just going to keep kicking it around. If we are going to decide, at some point we just got to pin it down and put it in,” Thrasher said.

However, the board moved to postpone a decision, agreeing to wait until they had a full board to decide. March’s meeting was the last time the planning commission had a full board, and, board member attendance has been spotty in the past.

Board members made several suggested revisions to removal from office. The board came to a consensus that if a person does not attend three consecutive meetings or misses four meetings within a 12-month period, they will be removed from the board.

The board said they would continue to work on their bylaws in future meetings. The next Saratoga Planning Commission meeting will take place 5:30 p.m. on May 13 at Saratoga Town Hall.