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RELEVANT LINKS: <br />Establishing a Planning <br />Commission, LMC Model <br />Ordinance. <br />A. Size or number of members <br />State statute does not specify how many members should be on a planning <br />commission. As a result, a city should establish a reasonable number <br />reflecting city's needs. An odd number is preferred to avoid tie -vote <br />situations. Generally, cities appoint between five and nine planning <br />commission members. <br />Some considerations in choosing the number of commissioners include: <br />• Costs to the city in terms of salary (if a salary is paid). <br />• Availability of community members to serve or potential difficulty in <br />recruiting members to serve full terms. <br />B. Terms of members <br />State statute does not set a term length for planning commissioners. <br />Likewise, statute is silent on limiting successive terms. As a result, city <br />ordinance should establish how long planning commissioners should serve. <br />When setting planning commission terms, cities should consider: <br />• The substantial length of time necessary to conduct studies, draft, and <br />adopt a comprehensive plan. <br />• The extensive body of knowledge that commission members must master <br />to be effective planning commissioners. <br />These two considerations generally favor a longer, four-year term (rather <br />than a two-year term). Rapid turnover of planning commissioners may hinder <br />a city's efficiency in adopting, implementing, and enforcing its <br />comprehensive plan. <br />Cities establishing a new planning commission, may wish to provide <br />staggered terms initially. For example, one term may be for one year, another <br />for two years, and another for three years, etc., with successors serving full <br />four-year terms. Staggering terms in this manner will help ensure long-range <br />continuity for the planning commission and prevent a situation where all <br />commission seats are vacant at once. This ensures that the planning <br />commission is not without veteran members every four years. <br />Cities may, by ordinance limit the number of consecutive terms a planning <br />commissioner may serve. However, there is no requirement to limit <br />consecutive terms. As part of its ordinance, a city may establish ordinance <br />provisions for the removal of commission members, should it become <br />necessary, in consultation with the city attorney. <br />League of Minnesota Cities Information Memo: <br />Planning Commission Guide <br />12/16/2024 <br />Page 2 <br />