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HomeMy WebLinkAboutRes No 1866PLANNING COMMISSION RESOLUTION NO. 1866 A RESOLUTION OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF PALM DESERT, CALIFORNIA, ADOPTING THE PLANNING COMMISSION BYLAWS. WHEREAS, the Planning Commission of the City of Palm Desert, California, wishes to update its Bylaws in order to better govern its conduct during its time of meeting in order to more capably perform its duties and render greater services to the citizens of Palm Desert; and NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Planning Commission of the City of Palm Desert, California, that it does hereby adopt the Planning Commission Bylaws, as attached hereto, as being the approved procedures for conducting Planning Commission meetings. The Planning Commission Bylaws approved hereby shall supersede all previous Bylaws and Rules of Operation adopted by the Planning Commission. PASSED, APPROVED and ADOPTED at a regular meeting of the Palm Desert Planning Commission, held on this 2nd day of June, 1998, by the following vote, to wit: • AYES: BEATY, FERNANDEZ, FINERTY, JONATHAN, CAMPBELL NOES: NONE ABSENT: NONE ABSTAIN: NONE ATTEST: PHILIP DRELL Secretary Palm Desert P nning Commission )-z, SONIA M. CAMPBELL, Chairperson PLANNING COMMISSION RESOLUTION NO. 1866 CITY OF PALM DESERT PLANNING COMMISSION BYLAWS PLANNING COMMISSION RESOLUTION NO. 1866 1. MEETINGS 1 .1 REGULAR MEETINGS: The Planning Commission shall hold regular Meetings at the City Council Chamber at City Hall, 73-510 Fred Waring Drive, Palm Desert, CA, twice a month on days to be established from time to time by resolution of the Planning Commission. When a day for any regular meeting of the Planning Commission falls on a legal holiday, no meeting shall be held at such holiday, but a regular meeting shall be held on the same hour on the next succeeding business day thereafter that is not a holiday. Regular, special and emergency meetings shall be called, noticed and conducted in accordance with State law. 1.2 QUORUM: Three members of the Planning Commission shall constitute a quorum and shall be sufficient to conduct business. In the event there is no quorum formed, the Chairman, Vice -Chairman or Secretary, as the case may be, may adjourn the meeting and such adjournment shall serve as sufficient notice to continue all matters pending before the Planning Commission to its next regular meeting. 1.3 ATTENDANCE: Commissioners are expected to be in attendance at regular meetings of the Planning Commission. If any member knows that he or she will be absent from any Planning Commission meeting due to illness- or an unavoidable absence, he or she shall notify the Secretary as soon as feasible of such absence. 2. OFFICERS 2.1 ENUMERATION OF OFFICERS: The officers of the Planning Commission shall include a Chairman, Vice Chairman and Secretary. 2.2 ELECTION: imi At the second regular meeting of the Planning Commission held in the month of January, the Commission shall elect the Chairman and Vice Chairman, and mid 3 PLANNING COMMISSION RESOLUTION NO. 1866 the Director of Community Development shall serve as Secretary to the Planning Commission. Such election shall be for a term of one year. Should a vacancy occur in any of the elected positions at any time different than the scheduled time for formal elections, the Planning Commission will immediately proceed to conduct such elections to fill such vacancies. 3. CONDUCT OF MEETING 3.1 PRESIDING OFFICER: The Chairman shall he the Presiding .Officer at all meetings of the Planning Commission. In the absence of the Chairman, the Vice -Chairman shall preside. In the absence of both the Chairman and the Vice -Chairman, the Planning Commission shall elect a temporary Presiding Officer to serve until the arrival of the Chairman or Vice -Chairman or until adjournment. 3.2 AGENDA: The agenda shall be prepared by the Secretary in accordance with State law. The order of business shall be as directed by the Planning Commission from time to time. 3.3 ROLL CALL: Before proceeding with the business of the Commission, the roll of the members shall be called and the names of those present or absent shall be entered in the minutes. 3.4 MINUTES: At all Planning Commission meetings there shall be taken minutes of the proceedings. Such minutes may be approved without reading if the Secretary has previously furnished each member of the Planning Commission with a copy thereof. 3.5 SIGNING OF DOCUMENTS: Subject to Planning Commission policy, the Chairman shall sign resolutions and minutes approved by the Planning Commission at meetings at which he or she is in attendance. In the event of his or her absence, the Vice -Chairman shall sign all such documents as have been adopted and approved by the Planning 4 PLANNING COMMISSION RESOLUTION NO. 1866 Commission. In absence of the Chairman and the Vice -Chairman, the temporary Presiding Officer shall sign all such documents as have been approved and adopted during the meeting of which he or she presided. 4. DEBATE 4.1 PRESIDING OFFICER: Debate upon all matter pending before the Planning Commission shall be under the direct supervision of the Presiding Officer and conducted in such a manner as to expedite the business of the Planning Commission subject to the rules herein provided. Every Commission member desiring to speak shall address the chair, and upon recognition by the Presiding Officer, shall confine himself to the question under debate, avoiding all personal attacks and indecorous language. A member, once recognized, shall not be interrupted when speaking unless called to order by the Presiding Officer. 4.2 PARTICIPATION OF PRESIDING OFFICER: The Presiding Officer is responsible for the maintenance of order and decorum at all times. The Presiding Officer may move, second, and debate from the chair, subject only to such limitations of debate as are imposed on all Commissioners, and he or she shall not be deprived of any of the rights and privileges of a Commissioner by reason of his or her acting as Presiding Officer. 4.3 REMARKS OF THE COMMISSIONER: A member may request, through the Presiding Officer, the privilege of having a verbatim copy of his or her statement on any subject under consideration by the Commission entered in the Minutes. 4.4 ROBERT'S RULES OF ORDER: Except as otherwise provided herein, all questions of parliamentary procedure shall be resolved according to Robert's Rules of Order. 4.5 ADDRESSING THE COMMISSION: Any person desiring to address the Commission on a matter on the Agenda, may address the Commission at the time the matter is considered by the is 5 PLANNING COMMISSION RESOLUTION NO. 1866 Commission upon first securing the recognition of the Presiding Officer. Any person desiring to address the commission on a matter not on the Agenda must do so during the time allotted for public comment. 4.6. MANNER OF ADDRESSING THE COMMISSION: Each person addressing the commission shall step up to the podium and shall give his or her name and city of residence for the record. All remarks shall be addressed to the Commission as a body and not to any member thereof. No person, other than the Commission and the person having the floor, shall be permitted to enter into any discussion either directly or through a member of the Commission, without the permission of the Presiding Officer. No question shall be asked a Commissioner except through the Presiding Officer. 4.7 TIME LIMITATION: Any public member addressing the Commission shall limit his or her address to five minutes unless further time is granted by the Presiding Officer, or prior arrangements have been made. A project applicant, or his or her representatives, may address the Commission in excess of five minutes if necessary to fully explain the project and respond to questions of the Commission. 4.8 HEARINGS AND FINDINGS: Planning Commission hearings need not be conducted according to the technical rules relating to evidence and witnesses. 4.9 DECORUM: While the Commission is in session, the members must preserve order and decorum, and a member shall neither, by conversation or otherwise, delay or interrupt the proceedings or the peace of the Commission nor disturb any member while speaking or refuse to obey the orders of the Commission or its Presiding Officer, except as otherwise herein provided. 4.10 ENFORCEMENT OF DECORUM: The Chief of Police or any member or members of the Police Department or other members of the City Staff may be designated by the Commission to be Sergeant at Arms when, in the opinion of the Presiding Officer, the services 6 PLANNING COMMISSION RESOLUTION NO. 1866 of a Sergeant at Arms is necessary. The Sergeant at Arms shall carry out all orders and instructions given by the Presiding Officer for the purpose of maintaining order and decorum at the Commission meeting. 5. VOTING 5.1 VOTING PROCEDURE: On the passage of every motion, the vote shall be taken by voice or roll call at the discretion of the Presiding Officer. Any member of the Commission may, before the vote is taken, request a roll call vote. It shall not be in order for members to explain their vote during roll call. 5.2 ABSTENTIONS: Every member should vote unless disqualified because of a conflict of interest. Self -disqualification, without good cause, shall be avoided, but no member shall be forced to vote. An abstaining member shall be counted toward constituting a quorum. A member who abstains shall in effect consent that a majority of the quorum may act for him. 5.3 TIE VOTES: Tie votes shall be lost motions and may be reconsidered. 5.4 THREE AFFIRMATIVE VOTES NECESSARY FOR CERTAIN APPROVALS: Motions shall be passed by a majority of the quorum. If the Planning Commission action receives Tess than three affirmative votes and is referred to the City Council, the report to the City Council shall emphasize that the Planning Commission action was passed by less than a majority of the Planning Commission. 5.5 RECONSIDERATION: Any member who voted with the majority may move for reconsideration of any action at the same meeting. The motion to reconsider any action taken by the Commission may be made only during the same session, or at an extension of the same session. Such motion must be made by one of the prevailing side, but may be seconded by any member, and may be made at any time. The motion shall be debatable. Nothing herein shall be construed to prevent any 7 PLANNING COMMISSION RESOLUTION NO. 1866 member of the Commission from making or remaking the same or any other motion at a subsequent meeting of the Commission. 8