Breitling’s rules of order

Because the Planning Commission had voted April 25 to follow Robert’s Rules of Order, commissioner Doug Breitling distributed a list of adapted guidelines he had developed for running meetings. Chair Melissa Greene suggested they make Breitling parliamentarian “so he can keep us in line,” and commissioners quickly approved.

Breitling said he was trying to apply what RRO stipulated for running a meeting, but maintain flexibility. He pointed out nuances he found regarding voting, such as whether a 3-2 vote would mean pass or fail. In his reading, it would pass. There was also a stipulation in RRO in which a 75 percent vote would be required for passage. He said some of the particular rulings seem like splitting hairs, “but if we are going to have the rules, we have to split those hairs. The point is to keep things clear.”

Commissioners will continue discussion at the next meeting.

Vision Plan gets go ahead

Greene asked commissioners how they wanted to proceed on developing a Master Plan for the city, and commissioner Susan Harman said there certainly are specific topics to consider, but advised they table an attempt at developing a new Master Plan.

Commissioner Tom Buford suggested they start with reviewing and updating the Vision Plan, and Woodie Acord said there are municipalities with a team of trained professionals who develop Master Plans, although he questioned whether they were competent enough to complete the task. He agreed with Buford they should look at the Vision Plan. Breitling stated the city would need to find extra money if it wanted a Master Plan done properly, but Greene said she would add the Vision Plan to their To-Do list.

Next meeting will be Tuesday, June 13, at 6 p.m.