Senate Bill No. 388
(By Senators Bowman, Boley, Browning, Foster, Minard, Palumbo,
Snyder, Sypolt, White, Williams and Yost)
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[Originating in the Committee on Government Organization;
reported January 28, 2010.]
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A BILL to amend and reenact §8A-2-3 of the Code of West Virginia,
1931, as amended, relating to municipal planning commissions;
and specifying the number of members by municipal
classifications.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That §8A-2-3 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended,
be amended and reenacted to read as follows:
ARTICLE 2. PLANNING COMMISSIONS.
§
8A-2-3. Municipal planning commission.
(a) A municipal planning commission
in a Class I, II or III
city shall have not less than five nor more than fifteen members,
the exact number to be specified in the ordinance creating the
planning commission.
A municipal planning commission in a Class IV
town or village shall have not less than three nor more than nine members, the exact number to be specified in the ordinance creating
the planning commission.
(b) The members of a municipal planning commission must be:
(1) Residents of the municipality; and
(2) Qualified by knowledge and experience in matters
pertaining to the development of the municipality.
(c) At least three fifths of all of the members must have been
residents of the municipality for at least three years prior to
nomination or appointment and confirmation.
(d) The members of a municipal planning commission must fairly
represent different areas of interest, knowledge and expertise,
including, but not limited to, business, industry, labor,
government and other relevant disciplines. One member must be a
member of the municipal governing body or a designee and one member
must be a member of the administrative department of the
municipality or a designee. The term of membership for these two
members is the same as their term of office.
(e) The Legislature finds that there are persons willing to
serve on planning commissions who may also own interests in
businesses that regularly conduct business in front of or with
planning commission staff. Such persons may have experience and
expertise which would be valuable assets to a planning commission.
For those reasons, notwithstanding any other provisions in this
code to the contrary, any person employed by, owning an interest in or otherwise associated with a business that regularly conducts
business in front of or with planning commission staff may also
serve as a member of a planning commission and shall not be
disqualified from serving as a member because of a conflict of
interest as defined in section fifteen, article ten, chapter
sixty-one of this code and shall not be subject to prosecution
under provisions of that chapter when the violation is created
solely as a result of his or her relationship with the business.
This member must recuse himself or herself from any vote,
discussion, participation or other activity regarding the
conflicting issue.
(f) The Legislature finds that there are persons willing to
serve on planning commissions who may also own interests in
businesses who regularly conduct business in front of or with
planning commission staff. Such persons may have experience and
expertise which would be valuable assets to a planning commission.
For those reasons, notwithstanding any other provisions in this
code to the contrary, any person employed by, owning an interest in
or otherwise associated with a business that regularly conducts
business in front of or with planning commission staff may also
serve as a member of a planning commission and shall not be in
violation of subsection (g), section five, article two, chapter
six-b of this code if the member recuses himself or herself from
any vote, discussion, participation or other activity regarding the conflicting issue:
Provided, That such members do not constitute
a majority of the members of the planning commission at the same
time.
(g) The remaining members of the municipal planning commission
first selected shall serve respectively for terms of one year, two
years and three years, divided equally or as nearly equally as
possible between these terms. Thereafter, members shall serve
three-year terms. Vacancies shall be filled for the unexpired term
and made in the same manner as original selections were made.
(h) The members of a municipal planning commission shall serve
without compensation, but shall be reimbursed for all reasonable
and necessary expenses actually incurred in the performance of
their official duties.
(i) Nominations for municipal planning commission membership
shall be made by the administrative authority and confirmed by the
governing body when the administrative authority and the governing
body are separate, or appointed and confirmed by the governing body
where the administrative authority and governing body are the same.
(j) An individual may serve as a member of a municipal
planning commission, a county planning commission, a multicounty
planning commission, a regional planning commission or a joint
planning commission, at the same time.
(k) The governing body of the municipality may establish
procedures for the removal of members of the planning commission for inactivity, neglect of duty or malfeasance. The procedures
must contain provisions requiring that the person to be removed be
provided with a written statement of the reasons for removal and an
opportunity to be heard on the matter.