City Council Minutes 12-16-1986 SpecialMINUTES
SPECIAL MEETING - MONTICELLO CITY COUNCIL
Tuesday, December 16, 1986 - 7:30 a.m.
A special meeting of the Monticello City Council was duly held at
7:30 a.m., Tuesday, December 16, 1986, in the Monticello City Hall.
Members Present were: Mayor Grimsmo, Councilmembers Fran Fair, Bill
Fair, and Dan Blonigen. Also present was Councilmember elect Warren
Smith. Absent: Jack Maxwell. Members of the Monticello Planning
Commission and City staff in attendance were: Richard Carlson, Joyce
Dowling, Barbara Koropchak, Gary Anderson, Rick Wolfsteller, and
Tom Eidem.
The meeting was called to order by the Mayor, who indicated that
the express purpose of conducting the special meeting was to discuss
pending vacancies in the Planning Commission and to discuss proposed
improvements in Planning Commission operating procedures. The Mayor
opened the discussion by expressing his thanks to the members of
the Planning Commission for serving. He acknowledged that the position
received few expressions of gratitude and noted that the issues often
placed members of the Planning Commission in delicate and unpopular
positions. Commission member Rich Carlson, who also serves as Chair
of the Commission when in session, indicated that it was extremely
difficult to find persons who were interested in serving on the Planning
Commission. Carlson noted that he got the impression that frequently
people in the community did not take the Planning Commission seriously.
City Administrator Eidem responded that he had been informed directly
by various developers that the Planning Commission was not much more
than a bureaucratic and procedural obstacle which needed to be side
stepped before carrying the heart of their proposal to the City Council.
Eidem stated that he felt it was critical to re-establish the Planning
Commission as an authoritative body with respect to zoning and land
use issues. Eidem stated that he felt it was essential to provide
outside training sessions so that Planning Commission members could
develop broader understanding of land use in general, and provide
in-house training sessions to explore the City's Comprehensive Plan
and Zoning Ordinance in particular. He noted that he also thought
it would be appropriate to begin to compensate Planning Commission
members to reimburse for individual's out-of-pocket expenses as well
as to show some token of appreciation for services rendered.
Considerable discussion followed by all persons present regarding
the value of training. Commission member Dowling indicated that
as a part-time volunteer participant, she sometimes felt intimidated
when working with persons who were everyday practitioners in the
field of planning and zoning. She felt it was critical to provide
Commission members with an expanded understanding and knowledge base
of the issues so there could be greater decision making capabilities
and issue resolution. All members of the City Council supported
Special Council Minutes - 12/16/86
the notion of expanded training capabilities and felt that the expense
would be well justified. All Council members also acknowledged that
a monthly compensation for Planning Commission members would be appropriate.
Motion by Fran Fair, second by Dan Blonigen, to approve a compensation
rate of $50.00 per month per member for Planning Commissioners providing
they attend the regularly scheduled meeting in that given month.
The motion also stipulated that each new Planning Commissioner appointed
would be required to go through both internal training and familiarity
with local ordinances as well as one external training session.
The motion was adopted unanimously.
There being no other business scheduled for the special meeting,
the Mayor adjo ned the session.
Thomas A. '-El"C&
City Administrator
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