A regular meeting/public hearing of the Planning Commission of Alexandria Township was held on the 28th day of February, 2011 at the Alexandria Township Conference Room, 610 Fillmore Street.
Roll Call: Commission members present were Julie Haar, Russ Niskanen, Larry Steidl and Lyle Hammerschmidt. Also present were Bonnie Fulghum, Deputy Clerk, and Ben Oleson, Township Zoning Administrator. As said members formed a quorum and the meeting was called to order by Vice-Chairman Niskanen at 6:00 p.m.
Agenda: Steidl, seconded by Hammerschmidt, made a motion to approve the agenda with the addition of the CGI Course Catalog under New Business. Motion carried unanimously.
Minutes: Hammerschmidt, seconded by Steidl, made a motion to approve the minutes of the 01/24/2011 meeting as written. Motion carried unanimously.
Motion by Hammerschmidt, seconded by Haar, to suspend the regular meeting to conduct the public hearing. Motion carried unanimously.
Public Hearing: Zoning Administrator Oleson presented the proposed zoning ordinance amendments for the commission’s review (creation of Section V – Performance Standards; a portion of Section III; Section V.F – Non-conformities; portions of Section V.G, V.J; V.L, V.S, VI.A, VI.F, VI.G, VI.H, VII). Commissioner Hammerschmidt questioned the definition of (average) lot width (Section 7) as outlined in Land and Resource’s letter. Commissioner Niskanen inquired as to the type of permitting required for home occupations (interim use) and the fee for same. The commission also discussed Attorney Clark’s recommendation to include in boldface, in the home occupations section, “that such occupations are interim uses and temporary in nature. The use may be disallowed if conditions change”.
As there was no public comment, Vice-Chairman Niskanen closed the public hearing portion and reconvened the regular meeting.
Motion by Hammerschmidt, seconded by Steidl, to recommend approval of the zoning ordinance amendments 1 – 11 as outlined in the staff report. Roll: Steidl – yes, Haar – yes, Hammerschmidt – yes, Niskanen – yes. Opposed: none. Motion carried unanimously.
Zoning Administrator’s Report: Zoning Administrator Oleson gave an update of his activities.
New Business: Community Growth Institute’s 2011 catalog. The commission discussed incorporating training sessions into their monthly meetings. The consensus was to include a training session at the end of a meeting if the agenda had relatively few items of business.
Old Business: Open Meeting Laws. Supervisor Roger Thalman stated that he had attended a conference on open meeting laws. He said two main issues were discussed at the conference: 1) fraud of the township, specifically township monies; and 2) open meeting laws. The open meeting laws apply to both appointed and elected officials. A quorum applies whether discussing a township issue electronically or by being physically present. If an accusation is made against you of a violation of the open meeting law, the township attorneys will defend you; however, if you are found guilty of the charge, you could be fined and removed from office. Additionally, the fine would be your responsibility. Supervisor Thalman also stated that if a special meeting is called, a 3-day notice is required, said notice cannot include either the original posting date nor the day of the actual meeting.
Adjournment: Being no further business Haar, seconded by Hammerschmidt, made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Meeting adjourned at 6:47 p.m.
Respectfully submitted…
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Bonnie Fulghum, Deputy Clerk
Approved this ____ day of ___________, 2011
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Russ Niskanen, Vice-Chairman