The planning board shall consist of five members, one member each from the respective commissioner election districts of the county.

At their first regular meeting in January the board of commissioners shall appoint one member from each of the five respective election districts of the county board of commissioners to serve commencing with the January regular meeting of the planning board. The members representing the second, third, and fifth districts shall serve through the January 2025 regular meeting of the planning board. The members representing the first and fourth election districts shall serve through the January 2026 regular meeting of the planning board. Thereafter, successors shall be appointed every four years at the first regular meeting of the board of commissioners in January immediately following the general election of the commissioner representing said district. The term of each respective planning board member representing a commissioner election district shall commence upon appointment and extend through the January regular meeting of the planning board immediately following the next general election of the commissioner representing said district.

Any vacancy in the membership shall be filled for the unexpired term in the same manner as the initial appointment. Members shall be removable for cause by the board of commissioners upon written charges and after a public hearing. The board of commissioners shall determine the amount of compensation, if any, to be paid to members of the planning board.

7.1.1 Procedure. At the first meeting of the year, the planning board shall elect one of its members as chairman, who shall serve for one year or until he is reelected or his successor is elected. The planning board will also elect a vice chairman who will conduct meetings in the absence of the chairman. The zoning administrator shall appoint a clerk to the planning board. The planning board shall adopt rules in accordance with the provisions of any ordinance or resolution adopted pursuant to this ordinance.

7.1.2 Meetings. Meetings of the planning board shall be held on the second Tuesday of each month. The clerk to the planning board shall keep minutes of its proceedings, keep a record of the options that passed or the motions that failed, indicate such fact, and shall keep records of its examinations and other official actions, all of which shall be written and reviewed before becoming a public record.

7.1.4 Review authority. It shall be the responsibility of the planning board to review and recommend to county commission approval, disapproval, or approval with conditions on all requests for rezonings. In the authority given to the planning board, they can approve, deny, or take no action on rezonings.

7.1.5 Planning board member qualifications.

1.

All planning board members shall attend and obtain a certificate for both Planning 101 and Planning 102 from the Carl Vinson Institute of Government and within 12 months of their appointment.

2.

Within 90 (ninety) days of appointment, the board member shall complete an online ethics class.

3.

Planning board members are required to attend 90 percent of the monthly board meetings scheduled.

4.

Planning board members are required to attend a three-hour development services orientation within 30 days after their appointment.

5.

Planning board members shall be familiar with the following Effingham County documents:

a.

Comprehensive land use plan;

b.

Existing zoning map;

c.

Future land use map;

d.

Zoning ordinance;

e.

Subdivision ordinance;

f.

Wetlands ordinance;

g.

Stormwater ordinance;

h.

Rezoning checklist referencing the GA State statute for rezoning property.

(Amend. of 4-4-00(21); Amend. of 1-3-02; Amend. of 3-3-15; Ord. of 9-7-21; Ord. of 1-17-23(1); Ord. No. 2024-493, 10-15-24; Ord. No. 2024-676, 1-7-25)

The county commission may uphold, reverse, add, delete, or modify with conditions any recommendation made by the planning board.