Planning Commission - Open Recruitment

About the Planning Commission

The five Planning Commission positions are elected on staggered three-year terms. All elected positions are uncompensated volunteers. The Planning Commission provides balance, leadership, fairness, equity, decision-making, and communication for the community. They balance competing interests in public hearings so decisions are made that reflect the community’s needs. The Planning Commission also assumes the role of ensuring fairness in public meetings where public decisions are made by following the prescribed procedures for public hearings established in the City of Madras zoning ordinance and in the planning commission’s bylaws. Fairness in public meetings is also achieved by the Planning Commission by maintaining a safe and friendly meeting that encourages all citizens to participate regardless of their experience in planning and public speaking. 

The Planning Commission is responsible for providing equity in public hearings and they do so by following procedures for public meetings that allow citizens, stakeholders, and interest groups to participate in a manner where their perspectives can be presented equitably and respectfully to the Commissioners. The Planning Commission also assumes the difficult role of being a decision-maker for the community. When they make decisions they consider precedent, the mix and balance of public and private interests, models, reportsdata, and other planning and development-related information. One of the essential roles of the Planning Commission is to communicate effectively by communicating often, clearly and remembering what is not said, goes unsaid, and unheard by the community.

Meetings

The Commission holds regular meetings generally twice a month (Calendar) on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of the month. To receive meeting alerts or other information, you can subscribe here. Agendas and Meeting packets are typically distributed five days in advance of Planning Commission meetings.

Citizen Involvement

Perhaps the single-most important responsibility and task of the Madras Planning Commission is to implement the citizen involvement requirements of the Comprehensive Plan and State Statute by providing opportunities for citizens, stakeholders, and interest groups the become involved in planning decisions that affect the City. The Planning Commission seeks to proactively engage the members of the community in land use decisions by posting public meetings, notifying adjacent land owners of land use actions, holding meetings in different locations in the community and by actively informing citizens of planning issues and how they can participate.

Decision Making

Members of the Madras Planning Commission are volunteers who have a passion for planning and ensuring that Madras is a better place tomorrow than it is today. The Planning Commission is a decision-making body for many planning and development related decisions. They also use their planning expertise to make a recommendation to the Madras City Council on planning policy decisions that have community-wide impact. For example, the Planning Commission is the decision-making body for conditional use permits, subdivisions and variances, although they provide a recommendation to the Madras City Council on zone changes, text amendments to City ordinances, and changes to the Comprehensive Plan map or policies.

Expectations of the Planning Commission

• Regularly attend the Madras Planning Commission meetings; and
• Adhere to the Planning Commission By-Laws Adopted on April 14, 2015.

Other Opportunities to Serve

If you're interested in serving on a Committee or Commission, please click here.