1.

Purpose. In order to guide and accomplish a coordinated and harmonious development of the municipality which will, in accordance with future and existing needs, best promote the public health, safety, morals, order, convenience, prosperity and the general welfare and safety as well as efficiency and economy and the process of development, the Thunderbolt Planning and Zoning Commission is hereby created and established. The Thunderbolt Planning and Zoning Commission may sometimes be referred to as the planning commission or the zoning commission, or planning and zoning commission under the Thunderbolt Code of Ordinances 1985 Revision and all appendices thereto.

2.

Membership, term of office, compensation.

A.

Membership. The planning and zoning commission shall consist of seven members, who shall be residents of the town, appointed by the governing body. Any member of the commission shall be disqualified to act upon any matter before the commission with respect to property in which the member has an interest. In addition to the seven appointed members of the zoning commission there may be appointed by the mayor and council two alternate members to serve when a member of the commission is unable to attend any regular or called meeting of the commission and the chairman of the commission or the secretary of the commission at the direction of the chairman of the commission is able to contact one or both alternate members to attend a commission meeting so that there will be a quorum of the commission and business can therefore be conducted. At any time that a regular member of the commission misses three consecutive meetings the chairman of the commission may request that the mayor and council remove any such commission member from his/her position on the commission and replace such member with one of the alternates for the remainder of the term of the commission member who has been removed. In such event the mayor and council may then appoint a new alternate to fill the vacancy in the alternate membership of the commission.

B.

Term of office. The terms of the members shall be for four years, except that in the appointment of the first planning commission appointed pursuant to this revision to the zoning ordinance, one member shall be appointed for a term of one year, two members shall be appointed for a term of two years, two members shall be appointed for a term of three years and the remaining member shall be appointed for a term of four years each. Any vacancy in membership shall be filled for the unexpired term by the governing body, which shall also have the authority to remove any member for cause, on written charges, after a public hearing.

C.

Compensation. All members shall be paid $50.00 per month provided they attend the meeting for that month. Payment of the remuneration to the member shall be made on a semi-annual basis in July and December. Members of the commission may also be reimbursed for actual expenses incurred in connection with their official duties, if approved by the mayor and council.

3.

Officers, meetings, quorum, minutes—Procedures generally. The members of the planning and zoning commission shall appoint a chairman from the membership. If the membership does not appoint a chairman by February 28 of each calendar year to serve for that year, the mayor and council shall appoint one of the members of the planning and zoning commission as chairman, who shall serve for such year or until he is re-appointed or his successor is appointed. The planning and zoning commission shall appoint a secretary who may be an officer or employee of the town. The planning and zoning commission shall have authority to adopt rules of procedure.

Regular meetings shall be held as needed on the first, third or fourth Wednesdays of each month as needed as well as at the call of the chairman at such other times as the commission may determine it is necessary to meet. Four members of the commission shall constitute a quorum.

The planning and zoning commission shall keep minutes of its proceedings, showing the vote of each member upon each question, or if absent or failing to vote, indicating such fact, and shall keep records of recommendations and studies, all of which shall be immediately filed in town hall and shall be a public record. Meetings and hearings conducted by the planning and zoning commission may be adjourned from time to time and, if the time and place of the continued hearing be publicly announced at the time of the adjournment, no further notice of such continued hearings shall be required; otherwise, notice thereof shall be given, as in the case of the original hearing.

4.

Duties of planning and zoning commission. The role of the planning and zoning commission shall include the following: holding public hearings on comprehensive plans or elements of comprehensive plans; holding public hearings on zoning map or zoning text amendments; reviewing new land subdivision plats to ensure conformance with subdivision regulations; site plan reviews; and undertake specific assignments from the mayor and council, or upon their own initiative, encompassing planning and other community development issues.

5.

Public hearing.

A.

Notice of hearing shall be given. Before making its decision on any zoning map or zoning text amendment, or on any other matter within the planning and zoning commission's purview, the planning and zoning commission shall hold a public hearing. At least 15 days' notice of the time and place of such hearing shall be sent to the appellant or petitioner, and to the owners of all properties either adjoining the property with which the hearing is concerned or situated directly across a public right-of-way from said property. Such notice shall contain the name of the appellant and petitioner, the date, time, and place fixed for the hearing, and brief statement of the action or relief requested.

B.

Public notice in newspaper. The planning and zoning commission shall give public notice of a hearing or of a called meeting in a newspaper circulated in Thunderbolt by advertisement published two consecutive days more than 15 days prior to the date of the public hearing.

6.

Report of public hearing. The planning and zoning commission shall report, in writing, to the mayor and council the outcome of any public hearing. The report shall contain a summary of the information presented at the public hearing. The report shall be ready at least seven days prior to the hearing of the mayor and council on such matter.

7.

Powers. The planning and zoning commission shall have the power with regard to land planning and other community development issues to:

A.

Review and make recommendations concerning conditional use permits;

B.

Review and make recommendations on site plan approvals;

C.

Review and make recommendations on variance requests from the zoning ordinance;

D.

Review and make recommendations on proposed zoning map amendments and/or zoning text amendments;

E.

Review and make recommendations on proposed subdivision plats;

F.

Review and make recommendations on other matters submitted to it by the mayor and council;

G.

Review and make recommendations on other matters the commission initiates on its own.

8.

Appeals of decisions by planning and zoning commission. All appeals of decisions and/or recommendations by the planning and zoning commission shall be taken to the board of zoning appeals.

All appeals of zoning map amendments or zoning text amendments and special use permits shall be appealed to the mayor and aldermen of the Town of Thunderbolt.

(Ord. of 3-9-2016; Ord. of 7-13-2022)