For the first time in months, members of the Planning Commission could feel confident of a quorum. On July 23, two new commissioners took their seats at the table, and the others welcomed LauraJo Smole and Katie Hendrickson. Commissioner James Mitchell summed up the situation facing commissioners in recent months.
“We’ve been struggling,” he said. “We could not have anyone absent and still have a meeting.” Mitchell also noted that the commission still has one vacancy, and encouraged city residents to consider volunteering.
Chair Ann Sallee outlined some current issues for the new members, including a revised tree ordinance and regulation of bed & breakfast operations. The commission has tried to reconcile two different descriptions in city codes describing on-site managers for B&Bs. “We have some across the street,” Salle said, “and some have left town and say a neighbor is the manager, or they have a coded key lock on the door.”
She had a meeting scheduled with the mayor to discuss combining the two definitions into language that explicitly defines the on-site manager requirements. “I don’t think we need a workshop. If we combine them, they won’t be conflicting, and the outcome will be what we want.” Sallee expected to have a proposal at the Aug. 27 meeting.