Opinion: Reconsider the county's planning commission
The adage that too many cooks spoil the broth seems to hold true for the Richmond County Planning Commission. The 14-member panel is considerably larger than those of neighboring counties.
In Westmoreland County, five members serve – one from each district within the county. In Northumberland County, the number is 10.
The planning commission for Lancaster County has seven members, one from each district and a representative from the Board of Zoning Appeals. A county supervisor also attends, though that member is not allowed to vote.
Having too few members could lead to lack of representation. Too many members, said one Lancaster County official I spoke with, “could hinder reaching consensus.”
Richmond County has just the right about for both problems.
Of the 14 members, six live in or around the county seat of Warsaw, leaving much of the county without representation.
None of the 14 members lives near the community of Foneswood, for example, where much of the recent planning commission discussions have been focused. In fact, the northern half of the county beyond Warsaw only has three representatives.
This would be understandable for a county with only five representatives, but when the county’s commission has 14 members, it would seem that every large area would have a voice.
Unfortunately, even those communities with a voice aren’t always heard. Of the 14 members of the commission, one member has missed every single meeting for the past two years. That member actually no longer resides in the county. Should that member still “serve” on the commission?
Another member who recently resigned after we began asking questions about attendance had only been to 60% of the meetings for the past three years.
Another member, still serving, missed half of last year’s meetings and nearly half of this year’s.
Two other members have similar attendance records.
Everyone in this county knows, or should know, what an arduous task it is to serve on the planning commission.
It’s a tough job, but those who have agreed to represent the county should do so. Those have other obligations should resign.
As those resign, the county should reconsider the number of members, as well as their diversity. Years ago, the commission expanded to 14 members in order to include minority representation, which was sorely needed.
The county should be just as concerned with representing the smaller areas of the county, including Foneswood and Sharps, as these are more rural areas greatly impacting by the county’s “planning.”
Ten members on the planning commission should be enough to represent the county, provided, of course, that they all show up.
