The planning commission shall consist of seven (7) members each to be appointed by the County Commission for a term of three (3) years, with staggered terms. Any vacancy in the membership shall be filled for the unexpired term in the same manner as the initial appointment and members are removable by cause by the appointing authority upon written charges and after a public hearing. All members shall be property owners and/or residents of the Unified Government of Georgetown-Quitman County, provided that at no time shall nonresidents comprise a majority. A Chairman shall be elected annually by the membership of the board.

(Ord. No. 04-12, 6-12-12)

Meetings of the planning commission shall be held at the call of the Chairman, and at other such times as the commission may determine. All meetings shall be open to the public. The commission shall keep minutes and records of its proceedings which shall be open to the public.

The planning commission shall have the following power and duties:

1.

To hear applications and to make findings and recommendations at a public hearing for all amendments to this Ordinance and to forward said recommendations to the Unified Government of Georgetown-Quitman County.

2.

To hear and decide variances from the district regulations where by reason or exceptional narrowness, shallowness, or shape of a specific piece of property or where by reason of exceptional topographic conditions or other extraordinary or exceptional conditions of a piece of property, the strict application of the district regulations would result in practical difficulties to, or undue hardship upon, the owner of the property, provided that this relief may be granted without substantially impairing the intent and purpose of the zoning ordinance. In granting a variance, the commission may attach such conditions regarding the location, character and other features of a proposed building or structure as it may deem advisable to the purpose of the zoning ordinance will be served and the public health, safety and welfare secured. The commission shall not have authority to grant a variance of the use or density requirements of the zoning district relating to the property for which a variance is requested.

3.

To hear conditional uses as the planning commission is required to act upon under the terms of this Ordinance.

4.

To hear and decide appeals where it is alleged there is an error in any order, requirement, decision or determination made by an administrative official in the enforcement of this Ordinance.

5.

To hear and decide applications for the change, continuance and/or enlargement of a nonconforming use as provided in Article 9.

6.

To determine unclassified uses as provided in Article 6, Section 6.2.

The planning commission shall establish a reasonable time for hearing any appeals or request for variances authorized under this article. It shall give at least 15 days notice of such hearing by publishing the time, date and location of the public hearing within the newspaper of general circulation within the county in which is carried the legal advertisements of the county. It shall give written notice by mail to all parties who are prosecuting the subject appeal or variance request and to all adjacent property owners. All written notice required by this section shall be effective upon depositing such notice with the U.S. Postal Service with sufficient postage affixed thereto. Any party aggrieved by any final judgment or decision of the planning commission, may within fifteen (15) days thereafter appeal to superior court or court of like jurisdiction, by filing with the court a written notice of appeal specifying the judgment decision from which the appeal is taken, In case of such appeal the planning commission shall cause a transcript of the proceedings in the case to be certified to the court to which the appeal is taken and the case in such court to be tried de novo.