Brown seeks smaller planning and zoning board ddboard

The Longboat Key Planning & Zoning Board is currently a nine-person wonder, but Mayor Jim Brown hopes to whittle down that number.

Brown suggested reducing the number of members from nine to five or seven during the commission comments section at the end of the Longboat Key Town Commission’s Dec. 10 regular workshop.

Brown, a past planning board chairman who has said he might seek appointment to the board after he reaches term limits on his District 4 seat in the spring, said he found during his time on the board that the number of members made it “a very awkward board.”

“During the meetings, you ended up with individuals who just wanted to talk, which makes the meetings go longer,” he said.

Brown’s suggestion to discuss the idea received unanimous support from the commission, which has seven members.

“I just think it would be a more efficient board,” he said.

Planning board Chairman Al Hixon had not heard about Brown’s suggestion when the Longboat Observer contacted him last week, but he was on board with the suggestion.

“That is an absolutely marvelous, marvelous idea that sounds very efficient and very simple,” he said.

Hixon said the town’s planning board is so large that it often has to form subcommittees. He suggested that if the commission makes the change, it could reduce the size of the board by not making appointments as terms expire.

“Most other boards are five or seven,” Hixon said. “I’m not sure why this is so cumbersome.”
Planning board member B.J. Bishop said she supports changing the number of board members to seven but not to five.

Bishop, a former mayor of Leesburg, Va., said most communities she has been involved with had equal numbers of commissioners and planning board members, and each commissioner was responsible for making a single appointment to the board.

“Quite honestly, because there are some members who may really go off the reservation for issues, they need to be accountable to who appoints them,” she said.

Bishop said she would not support a five-member board because she believes it would create a lack of accountability.

Planning board member John Wild said he does not believe the commission should shrink the number of seats.

“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” he said.

Wild is also a former mayor, having served four years in the role in Wildwood, Mo., a city with 16 council members and 10 planning board members. He said having larger boards allows for greater citizen participation in government.

“I think we’ve got some good people,” Wild said. “The more good people you have involved (on the planning board), the more good candidates you get running for seven elected seats (on the commission).”

The planning board has been a stepping stone for many future commissioners. Of the current commission, three members — Brown and commissioners Phill Younger and Pat Zunz — served on the planning board. Former Vice Mayor Dave Brenner, who opted not to run for a final commission term in the town’s election earlier this year, is also a former planning board chairman. District 4 commission candidate Jack Daly is the board’s vice chairman.

The commission appoints planning board members in May for three-year terms.

Hixon said he has no explanation for the size of the town’s planning board.

“I suspect that somebody had a lot of friends who wanted to serve on the planning board of Longboat Key,” he said. “I don’t know of any other reason.”

How we size up
The town gathered information about the number of planning board members in neighboring communities.

Jurisdiction
Town staff research shows that Longboat Key has more planning board members than many communities.

Town of Longboat Key - 9

City of Sarasota - 5

Manatee County - 7

Sarasota County - 9

City of Bradenton - 7 regular members; 4 alternates

St. Pete Beach - 5

City of Venice - 7

City of North Port - 7 regular members; two alternate members; 1 non-voting ex-officio member of the Sarasota County School Board

City of Naples - 7 regular members; 1 alternate

To the nine
The following individuals make up the current Longboat Key Planning and Zoning Board.
Al Hixon, chairman
Jack Daly, vice chairman

• Andrew Aitken
• B.J. Bishop
• Leonard Garner
• Walter Hackett
• Kenneth Schneier
• George Symanski
• John Wild