By Myrna Trauntvein
Times-News Correspondent
One man was a bit chagrined to find that he had not
been notified of a sudden change in a planning commission
meeting and traveled 100 miles to attend only to find he was
there on the wrong night.
"The planning meeting agenda was set for a Tuesday
night," said Lyn Bonner, a developer. "I drove 100 miles to
attend and no one else showed up. It would have been nice to
have been notified in advance and before I made the
trip."
Since he was not notified, he showed up. Then he
discovered that members of the planning commission had
changed the meeting to Friday. That necessitated his
returning to Mona on Friday for another meeting.
Kevin Squire, planning commission chair, said that
there were some conflicts in schedules of members of the
commission and, therefore, the meeting night was
changed.
"Doesn't a change have to be noticed?" asked Kerry
Lynn. "I thought a change had to be advertised in the
newspaper."
Rory Nielson, council member over the planning
commission, said that his understanding was that only the
members had to be informed of the change.
Nevertheless, all agreed it would have been the proper
thing to do, out of good manners, to call Bonner and tell
him of the change.
Bonner is seeking approval for a preliminary plat on
the Pheasant Ridge Development.
"Will this put me back a month?" he asked.
That would not be the case, said Cory Squire, board
member. Because of the way the local newspaper is published,
as long as the work was done by Monday, it could be noticed
just as it would have been done otherwise.
The Utah League of Cities and Towns book, "Powers and
Duties: A Guide for Utah Municipal Officials," states that
meetings may be changed if, at a regular meeting, a formal
action is made to substitute another day for the regular
meeting day in the ensuing month.
"If for any reason, the business to be considered at a
regular meeting cannot them be completed, the commission
may, at such meeting, designate the time for an adjourned
meeting to consider may matter that can properly be
considered at a regular meeting."
If there are members not present, it shall be the
standing order that the secretary endeavor to advise
absentee members of the change.
If a quorum is not present at a regular meeting, the
chairperson, vice chairperson, or chairperson pro tem, in
that order, needs to adjourn the meeting to another date in
the same calendar month.
The secretary, once again, has the responsibility of
contacting the members who are not present.
All meetings, however, are to be open to the
public.
Therefore, it may be wise to post a change of meeting
notice on the door of the regular meeting place.
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