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<br />The Quiet Revolution in Training
<br />Citizen Planners
<br />
<br />By john R. Nolon
<br />
<br />Since 1998, when Zoning News (now Zoning Practice) last covered the issue of training
<br />for citizen planners, a spontaneous movement to train local land-use and planning board
<br />members has occurred.
<br />
<br />THE MAKING OF A MOVEMENT
<br />At that time, only New Hampshire had a state
<br />law ror such training, and it was a modest
<br />beginning. The law stated that new members
<br />or local planning and zoning boards may, "at
<br />the member's option complete at least six
<br />hours ortraining rorthat member's respective
<br />position." The American Planning Associa-
<br />tion's Growing Smart Legislative Guidebook:
<br />Model Statutes for Planning and the Manage-
<br />ment of Change, 2002 edition, recommended
<br />that state legislatures rollow New Hampshire's
<br />lead, suggesting they adopt laws that encour-
<br />age local governments to impose training
<br />requirements on board members.
<br />
<br />THE SOUTH CATCHES ON FAST
<br />A robust approach to training emerged in
<br />the Southeast in 2001 when Kentucky
<br />became the rirst state to require training ror
<br />local board members. The legislation
<br />applies to both new and sitting members,
<br />requiring rrom rour to eight hours or basic
<br />training ror newly appointed planners and 15
<br />hours or continuing education. Since then,
<br />legislatures in Tennessee, South Carolina,
<br />Louisiana, and very recently, New York and
<br />New Jersey, followed suit with requirements
<br />ror planning commissioner training. At mini.
<br />mum, the variety of approaches to mandat-
<br />ing training created by the trailblazers can
<br />help inform the states that are considering
<br />such measures. In addition, some states
<br />have adopted laws or provide resources that
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<br />support training programs run by profes-
<br />sional planning organizations or academic
<br />institutions. And elsewhere, local govern-
<br />ments simply require training without the
<br />prompting or state lawmakers.
<br />Training laws and programs vary in terms
<br />or structure and content: They may require or
<br />just encourage training, be limited to new
<br />board members or available to all sitting
<br />members, cover the "basics" or a longer menu
<br />ortopics, include local legislators, involve
<br />members of other local bodies Oncluding envi-
<br />ronmental, wetlands., or architectural commis-
<br />sions), or include stakeholders affected by
<br />land-use decisions. The cost may be paid by
<br />state agencies, local governments, Donprofjt
<br />training organizations, roundations, planning
<br />rederations, or by the participants. Training
<br />rormats may include lectures, clinical work-
<br />shops, cybertraining, interactive CDs, peer
<br />presentations, mock hearings, decision-mak.
<br />ing exercises, and break-out sessions.
<br />
<br />This issue of Zoning Practice begins
<br />with a compendium of state laws that
<br />require training and then provides inrorma.
<br />tion on several voluntary programs, which
<br />may be influenced by state legislation and
<br />state agency programs or be the independ-
<br />ent work or nongovernmental groups. The
<br />intention of the article is to inrorm the
<br />reader on the range or approaches to pro-
<br />viding training for those involved in local
<br />land use,which is critical to the built and
<br />natural environments.
<br />
<br />STATE LEGISl.ATION MANDATING TRAINING
<br />In Kentucky, volunteer board members must
<br />complete at least four hours of orientation train-
<br />ing within the year prior to appointment or
<br />within 120 days of appointment, and must par-
<br />ticipate in at least eight hours of training every
<br />two years thereafter. The program requires a
<br />locality to organize or identify training programs
<br />and pay for attendance where necessary. The
<br />, law specifies that the training should cover
<br />land-use planning, zoning, floodplains, trans.
<br />portation, community facilities, ethics, public
<br />utilities, wireless telecommunications facilities,
<br />parliamentary procedure, public hearing proce-
<br />dure, administrative law, economic develop-
<br />ment, housing, public buildings, building con-
<br />struction, land subdivision, and powers and
<br />duties of the board of adjustment. Appointed
<br />board or commission members who fail to com-
<br />plete the requisite training a~e subject to
<br />removaL
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<br />ZONINGPR.<XCTICE 4.07'
<br />AMERICAN PLANNING ASSOCIATION I page 2
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