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from various sources such as the county and other levels of government to give the local planning commissions a start, and these can and should be modified to fit local conditions. If a planning commission truly represents a cross-section of the community, the members can provide much valuable information on special and potential problems dealing with the operation of the ordi- nances. Part II of this book, Regulatory Devices for Implementing the Plan, discusses the develop- ment of ordinances and regulations. Review development proposals and proposed changes to ordinances. In most communities, the reviewing of development proposals occupies perhaps as much as 90-95% of the average planning commissioner's time. This includes listening to presentations by-developers or their consultants, holding public hearings, and evaluating the de- velopment proposals. There are several reasons why a Planning com- mission can serve a very valuable function in this area. For one, if the planning commission really represents a cross-section of the community, a variety of viewpoints can be brought to bear on a proposed development proiect. Secondly, if a review process is established whereby the planning commission reviews all development proposals, the community will have a certain amount of lead time during which it can give careful thought to a proposed development project. In those com- munities which have not established a planning commission, the city council or town board may be pressured into making a decision the same night that the project proposal is presented to the governing body. Many development proposals will also typically involve a request for a change in the zoning ordi- nance or subdivision regulations through amend- ments to the ordinance. Thus, the members of the planning commission should ensure that they have an adequate knowledge of all applicable ordinances and the conditions under which variances and amendments can be legally granted. (See a full discussion in Chapter 8.) In reviewing development proposals, the plan- ning commission should carefully consider not only the standards contained in the development ordinances, but also the total impact of the pro- posals on the community, including the'need and cost for additional services and how these services are to be financed. The standards should be adhered to, if at all possible, and yet the ordinance should be enforced in a reasonable manner. There should be good and sound reasons for the issuance of variances or zoning amendments or the whole planning process will suffer. One important rule to follow is that all property owners should be treated alike. Often the temptation by local-officials is to relax the provisions of the ordinances for friends or local citizens but not for out-of-town develop- ers. The law makes no such distinction, however, and if the rules are relaxed for some, it will set an important precedent for other large-scale develop- ments. Many communities have 16st legal chal- lenges to their ordinances or decisions by not strictly enforcing the provisions of the ordinances or by not treating every property owner the same. In-order to serve this function well, the indivi- dual planning commissioner needs to be well informed about the community and the effect of the proposed development on the community as a whole. One of the ways in which this can be done is to ask questions of.the developer or the con- sultants at the time of the public presentation of the proposal. Planning or engineering consultants may also be used to assist the planning commis- sioner to answer technical questions only; however, the commissioner should personally evaluate the effect of the proposal on adopted community policies. Hold public hearings. Another important function of the planning commission is to hold public hearings on a variety of matters .related to planning. For example, both the County and Municipal Planning Acts require that the planning commission hold public hearings on a proposed comprehensive plan before it can be adopted by the governing body. The planning commission must also hold public hearings on proposed new zoning ordinances and amendments to the zoning ordinance and also on conditional use permits. As -12 -