PRESCOTT - Two months and five versions later, the Yavapai County Planning and Zoning Commission read a version that they like of the county's re-written Community Plan Policy and Process.
On Wednesday, the Commission voted to send a positive recommendation for the policy draft to the Board of Supervisors.
The board discusses the draft policy at its Aug. 3 meeting in Prescott.
Representatives from Big Park Regional Coordination Committee and Beaver Creek Regional Council spoke in favor of the draft policy. However, Beaver Creek representatives discussed a couple of objections they have with the policy.
Linda Weatbrook, representing the Williamson Valley Community Organization, read a statement opposing the draft policy.
"The intent of the (General Plan and Growing Smarter Acts) statutes is to give citizens a voice in the planning process and determining the future of their communities," Weatbrook read. "WVCO believes, despite a few changes, the proposed procedures (in the draft) are contrary to that intent and we oppose the new direction the county has chosen to take."
WVCO President Ken Mino wrote in the letter, "I feel strict interpretation or adherence to some of these steps would eliminate meaningful citizen participation in the process."
Kala Pearson from the Beaver Creek Council said she thinks that the planning process adds "another layer of bureaucracy."
Development Services Director Chad Daines told commissioners that the re-written policy has a two-tier committee structure that starts with a Community Advisory Committee (CAC) comprised of community members.
A Plan Advisory Committee (PAC) comprised of Development Services staff and three members of the public is the second tier and it would oversee the CAC and the planning process.
The idea, Daines explained, is to ensure that a Community Advisory Committee is representative of an entire community and not one special interest group. The PAC would review a committee's members and plan to ascertain whether it is representative of the community.
Pearson said also that it is expensive to mail surveys to members of a community to gather information needed to write a community plan.
"Nothing in the documents mandates mailings," Commissioner Joan McClelland replied.
Steve Sprinz of Beaver Creek told the Commission that he felt the two-tiered committee format was "redundant" and a waste of taxpayer money because the Plan Advisory Committee would "rubberstamp the PAC."
Daines said that the PAC is an "advisory board" to oversee the planning process and that its job is not to write a community's plan or to rubberstamp a Community Advisory Committee's actions.
A point of contention with some members of the public about language in previous drafts was that the Board of Supervisors must initiate a community plan. Daines clarified that stipulation to commissioners.
"A community could request a plan (or amendment to an existing plan) through the Board of Supervisors," he said.
However, the board must give approval to start moving a plan through Development Services, and it has final approval of a community plan before it is entered into the county's General Plan. Community plans must conform to the General Plan.
The entire text of the draft policy may be read and downloaded at www.co.yavapai.az.us by clicking on the Development Services link.
TIME LINE TIMELINE
April 13 - Board of Supervisors and Planning and Zoning Commission meet in a joint session and direct Development Services to rewrite the county's Community Plan Policy and Process.
May 18 - First draft.
June 17 - Second draft.
July 8 - Third draft.
July 8 - Third draft, version two.
July 22 - Fourth draft forwarded to Board of Supervisors for possible vote.
Reader Comments
Posted: Thursday, July 23, 2009
Article comment by:
No name provided
More committees, more layers, longer time frames, less voice for taxpayers, BIGGER EMPIRE for BOS!
Posted: Thursday, July 23, 2009
Article comment by:
No name provided
