The purpose of this board is to prepare and submit a comprehensive development plan for adoption by the Board of Aldermen, to make recommendations for interpretation of the plans, act as a Zoning Commission, prepare and recommend rules controlling subdivision of land, recommend approval or disapproval of plats for land subdivision, and recommend legislation to further City planning.

The City Administrator shall designate the director of an administrative department as consultant and advisor to the Commission but such person shall not be a member of the Planning arid Zoning Commission.

The Chair of the commission is authorized to excuse any member from attendance at a Commission meeting; provided, that the member requested to be excused before the meeting. Any member who is absent, without being excused, from three (3) regular meetings in any twelve-month period shall automatically forfeit their office. Furthermore, any member who has a combination of five (5) or more excused or unexcused absences from regular meetings within any twelve-month period shall automatically forfeit their office. It shall be the duty of the Chair to promptly notify the Board of Aldermen of the vacancy.

The Commission shall elect annually from among its members its own Chair, Vice-Chair, and Secretary, and from time to time provide such rules and regulations, not inconsistent with the ordinances of the City, for its own organization and procedure as it may deem proper.

Whenever the Commission adopts the plan of the municipality or any part thereof, no street or other public facilities, or any public utility, whether publicly or privately owned, and, the location, extent, and character thereof having been included in the recommendations and proposals of the plan or portions thereof, shall be constructed or authorized in the municipality until the location, extent, and character thereof has been submitted to and approved by the Planning Commission. In case of disapproval the Commission shall communicate its reasons to the Board of Aldermen, and the Board of Aldermen, by a vote of not less than two-thirds (2/3) of its entire membership, may overrule the disapproval and, upon the overruling the Board of Aldermen, or the appropriate board or officer, may proceed, except that if the public facility or utility is one where the authorization or financing of which does not fall within the province of the Board of Aldermen, then the submission to the Planning Commission shall be by the board having jurisdiction, and the Planning Commission's disapproval may be overruled by that board by a vote of not less than two-thirds (2/3) of its entire membership, the acceptance, widening, removal, extension, relocation, narrowing, vacation, abandonment, change of use, acquisition of land for, sale, or lease of any street or other public facility is subject to similar submission and approval, and the failure to approve may be similarly overruled. The failure of the Commission to act within sixty (60) days after the date of official submission to it shall be deemed approval.