In an attempt to keep meetings brief, the Kenton County Planning Commission heard proposed changes to its bylaws from the county’s planning manager, Andy Videkovich, on Thursday night.
The commission unanimously voted to add the suggested changes to the agenda for their next regular meeting in May, where they will vote to either enact or discard the recommended changes.
The suggestions came as a result of several factors. According to the planning manager, the most pressing factor was the excessive length of meetings in recent months. A December meeting, for example, went well over three hours, so at least one of the recommended changes was intended to mitigate that problem.
The recommended changes were as follows:
- Grant the power of the acting chairperson of the commission to split public hearings into multiple sessions if a large number of applicants is scheduled to appear at the same session. The decision to split meetings would occur well in advance, so the commission would have time to advertise the changes to the public.
- Increase compensation of commission members from $25 per meeting to $50 per meeting.
- Revise language around the application fee schedule in the commission’s bylaws, which Videkovich characterized as outdated and unhelpful. The fee schedule itself in article 18 of the bylaws would not change.
- Allow commissioners to submit documentation attesting to state-mandated continuing education hours. The number of hours required of each commissioner varies depending on their role and the length of time they’ve served on the commission.
The next Kenton County Planning Commission meeting will take place on May 4 at 6:15 p.m. at the Kenton County courthouse on Simon Kenton Way in Covington.
For more information about the proposed changes or any other matter relating the commission and its operations, contact Planning and Development Services of Kenton County.