County commissioners approved appointments for the newly constituted planning commission and chose that board’s chairman.

The new planning commission includes seven voting members – one from each of the five commission districts, plus two at-large members, one of whom is a minority. The two cities and the school board each have a non-voting member, though the City of St. Marks chose not to appoint a representative.

County commissioners unanimously approved the appointees at their meeting on Monday, Jan. 11.

The District 1 appointee for Commissioner Alan Brock is Bret Hammond, with Zach Schatzman as alternate; Commissioner George Green’s choice for District 2 was Joe Shingles, but it was indicated at the meeting without explanation that he is unable to serve, and that the alternate, Norman Jones, would serve until a regular appointee is named; District 3 Commissioner Mike Stewart appointed Chris Russell with Simeon Nelson named as alternate; Chairman Howard Kessler of District 4 appointed Chad Hanson with Michael Keys as alternate; and Commissioner Lynn Artz of District 5 appointed Chuck Hess with Judith Harriss as alternate.

The at-large minority member is Helen Franklin; and the other at-large seat will be filled by Mike Falk Jr., the longtime chair of the planning commission who was selected by county commissioners to continue in that role.

Sopchoppy resident Dale Rushton will continue to represent that city in a purely advisory status, and Jimmie Duggar is the school board’s non-voting member.

Community Development Director Lindsay Stevens noted that the planning commission will select its own vice-chair.

At the end of the year, county commissioners revamped the planning commission – changing its makeup by taking away the voting status of the cities and altering some procedures, notably a provision requiring a unanimous vote of county commissioners for any land development ordinance that did not receive a recommendation for approval by the planning commission.Some observers characterized the changes as punishment for the planning board recommending denial of the wetlands ordinance that was going back through the enactment process after having been thrown out by a court for procedural defects. Planning commissioners from St. Marks and Sopchoppy voted against the wetlands ordinance, expressing skepticism about its purpose, along with a majority of planning commissioners.

With Commissioner Stewart’s lone dissenting vote at the county commission level, the wetlands ordinance failed.

Commissioner Artz, who proposed the changes to the makeup of the board, insisted that there was no intent on her part to strip the planning board’s power or punish the cities. To her, the motivation was simply a matter of fairness: Why should the cities have a say in the county’s planning decisions when the county has no vote in theirs?

Additionally, Artz argued that the cities influence on the planning commission was disproportional to the actual population represented.

The planning commission meets on Tuesday, Jan. 19.

In other matters:

• Chairman Kessler sought and got an unofficial nod of approval for the county to add bike lane striping to future road widening and paving projects.

Earlier in the day Kessler had attended a meeting of the Capital Regional Transportation Planning Agency and noted that, among the future projects discussed, was a widening and repaving of New Light Church Road.

Kessler suggested that the board should encourage that engineering and other aspects of the project include a bike lane.

Commissioner Stewart was initially concerned about the potential cost. Told it would be part of the project costs, paid for a state paving fund, he agreed.

• Commissioner Artz got the board to along with a proposal for county staff to investigate the feasibility of purchasing or trading for some lots in the Greiner’s Addition and Magnolia Gardens subdivisions purchased by a developer in a tax sale.

Artz said Cutchin Properties had offered to donate the small lots to the county for the amount paid by the company for back taxes.

The board directed staff to look at the feasibility of the lots uses for stormwater control or parks, and report back.

Cutchin Properties owner Gene Cutchin was in the audience but did not speak.

• Chairman Kessler presented a certificate of appreciation to retired Building Department staffer Linda Awad for her service to the county.