Full Text
ATTENDING A PUBLIC HEARING Welcome to a City of Moscow public hearing. The purpose of this guide is to acquaint interested citizens with the procedures used by the City Council, Planning and Zoning Commission and the Board of Adjustment, hereafter referred to as the hearing body, for the orderly conduct of public hearings. The hearing body has a published agenda for each of its meetings; copies are available for your use. Unless changed by the hearing body, they will transact business in the order shown on the agenda. ABOUT THE HEARING BODIES City Council meetings are held on the first and third Mondays of each month and begin at 7:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers, second floor of Moscow City Hall, 206 East Third Street. The City Council is the governing body of the City and makes the final decisions on Rezones, Subdivisions, and Comprehensive Plan Amendments along with many other administrative duties. The Planning and Zoning Commission meets on the Second and Fourth Wednesdays of each month and begin at 7:00 p.m. in Council Chambers. The Commission hears applications for Special Use Permits, Planned Unit Developments and makes recommendations* to the City Council on Rezones, Subdivisions and Comprehensive Plan amendments. *These recommendations are not final decisions and therefore cannot be appealed as described below. The Board of Adjustment public meetings are held on demand, and begin at 7:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers. The Board hears Variance and Conditional Use Permit requests and serves as the hearing body for appeals to the Zoning Administrator’s decisions. THE ORDER OF A PUBLIC HEARING Introduction: The Chairperson opens the public hearing and announces the ground rules for the conduct of the hearing. If the hearing body chooses to limit the duration of testimony from each speaker, that limitation will be announced at this time. Staff Report: The Chairperson will then ask staff to provide the Staff Report presenting background information and staff’s recommendation on the request. The hearing body has received this report previously, as has the applicant. The hearing body may then ask questions of the staff. Public Testimony: 1. The Applicant: Following the staff report, the applicant is invited to make their presentation. Following this presentation, the hearing body may ask questions of the applicant. ---PAGE BREAK--- 2. Public Testimony: The Chairperson then calls for testimony from those wishing to speak in support of the application, then from those in opposition to the request, and then from those merely wishing to make neutral comments. Please go to the podium and speak clearly into the microphone, stating your name and resident city for the record. The applicant is then invited to address the hearing body a final time to answer any questions that arose during public testimony. All persons wishing to speak must be recognized by the Chairperson, and all comments and questions must be directed toward the hearing body. Hearing Body Discussion: Following the public testimony, the Chairperson will close the public hearing. They may ask questions of the Staff, the applicant or members of the audience who testified during the public hearing. A motion may be made to approve, to approve with conditions, to deny, or to continue the request for conclusion at a future meeting. Once a motion is made the hearing body will discuss the matter and the motion on the floor. When discussion is complete, the Chairperson will call for a vote on the motion. If necessary, the Chairperson will call for a roll call vote. The Chairperson will announce the results of the vote of the hearing body members. What Happens Next: The hearing body will formulate the Reasoned Statement of Relevant Criteria and Standards (RCS) which specify the reasoning behind their decision which will be presented and adopted through a motion and vote at a separate meeting. The RCS will be drafted by staff and presented to the Chairperson for signature. The Chairperson’s signature finalizes the hearing body’s decision and begins the ten (10) day appeal period. APPEALS Hearing body decisions, not recommendations, may be appealed to the City Council, if filed within the appeal period. Please contact a staff member for more information on the appeal process. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IS IMPORTANT! If you receive a Notice of Public Hearing in the mail, please respond: your comments are important to your neighborhood and your community. Even if you do not receive one, you are invited to participate as a resident of Moscow. WRITTEN COMMENTS? SURE! Written comments are invited as well as oral comments. While City Code requires that written testimony be presented five days before the public hearing, the decision to accept written testimony during the public hearing is at the Chairperson’s discretion. Written materials are most useful if provided in advance where they can be distributed with the staff packet and provide the hearing body members more time to consider the comments contained within. Thank you for your participation in this process and please feel free to contact the Planning & Design Department at 883-7035 if you have any questions or comments.