Training: Roles and Responsibilities of a Planning Commission

MSU Extension is hosting in-person training for Planning Commissioners in Newberry and in Gwinn!

Local officials have a responsibility to plan their communities, manage the impacts of economic and social change, and play a part in solving everyday challenges. Communities that proactively plan and accomplish their responsibilities can enhance the quality of life and overall resiliency of their own community and beyond. Communities that make decisions upholding due process and based on established laws and best practices advance quality of life and resiliency while minimizing resident outcry and legal risk. This program empowers local officials and staff with information they need to realize plan goals while making defensible decisions. In two parts, this program covers:

Roles and Responsibilities of a Planning Commission

In this session, attendees will:

• Learn the legal authority and limitations of planning commission duties.
• Recognize the functions of a master plan and zoning ordinance and their relationship.
• Understand the role of each person at a planning commission meeting including how to run effective meetings.
• Strengthen ethical decision-making skills.

Defensible Planning and Zoning Decisions

In this session, attendees will:

• Learn why decision-makers must be free of conflicts of interest and other biases.
• Study the core principles of making good planning and zoning decisions.
• Understand the role of the master plan in making zoning decisions.
• Recognize elements of due process.
• Learn how to take complete administrative minutes.

Register today!