BETHEL HEIGHTS -- The city attorney said he'll look into the public comment process for the Planning Commission after a Springdale resident complained he wasn't able to voice his opposition to a proposed rezoning.
Ron Mynatt, a Springdale resident near the city's border with Bethel Heights, said he wanted to speak against a possible rezoning of property near his home when he attended a recent Planning Commission meeting. There were three signs posted stating only Bethel Heights residents were allowed to speak about items on the agenda, Mynatt said.
Meeting Information
The proposed rezoning of 1752 Wagon Wheel Road from agricultural to general commercial was approved by the Bethel Heights Planning Commission on July 20. That item will be before the City Council on Aug. 18.
Source: Cynthia Black, Bethel Heights mayor
Mayor Cynthia Black said the signs at the meeting on July 20 were needed because of time constraints. The city received a lot of calls about the rezoning, she said.
When Mynatt went to speak during the public forum period at the beginning of the meeting, he was told he would have three minutes to speak and he couldn't talk about items on the agenda, Mynatt said. He also said he wasn't allowed to speak when the item came up during the meeting.
Sam Black, chairman of the commission, wasn't at the meeting, but said only adjacent property owners are allowed to speak about possible rezonings. Black said Mynatt's property isn't adjacent to the other property.
Mynatt said he's spoken in the past at a Planning Commission meeting about a rezoning, despite his property not being adjacent. Mynatt also said he received a certified letter about the rezoning that was on the agenda for the July 20 meeting.
Cynthia Black said the letter must have been issued in error. Those letters are supposed to be sent to owners of property adjacent to those proposed for rezoning.
Mynatt said the Planning Commission approved the rezoning. It will go before the City Council on Aug. 18, Cynthia Black said.
The public comment period at City Council meetings is limited to 15 minutes, and people aren't allowed to speak about items on the agenda, said Joe Summerford, city attorney. Public input about an agenda item is allowed after it's introduced during the meeting. At that time, preference is given to residents, but Summerford said he's never known the council to forbid anyone from speaking.
Mynatt said he complained to Summerford about not being allowed to speak about the possible rezoning at the commission meeting. Summerford said he wasn't present at the meeting and needs to listen to the recording of the meeting, speak with commissioners present and look into the public comment process for Planning Commission meetings.
NW News on 08/01/2015