Planning board member resigns

Town of Saratoga planning commission board member Bob Thrasher submitted his letter of resignation at the June 10 meeting.

In his letter, Thrasher said after the May Saratoga planning commission, he has “had to really think about what the planning commission can actually accomplish.”

Thrasher’s letter listed several reasons why he was leaving the board. The letter said the present board has no power to act or enforce the zoning ordinances, and the double-vote situation by councilman and planning board member Steve Wilcoxson prohibits a unanimous decision from the planning board making it to town council.

The letter says though he believes the planning commission has dedicated their time to help the town, he feels the public thinks the board cannot make decisions and does not act as a unified part of the town. He said the board has tried to make changes, but with little success to overcome any obstacles.

Thrasher said in his letter he has gone away after each meeting thinking for every variance and special use permit, the zoning ordinances have not been utilized .

Additionally, another member of the planning commission may soon be leaving his position.

Rod Weinman has not been present at a planning commission meeting for several months, and has been at half of the meetings according to the board members. Board member Chris Shannon said having Weinman on the board is not in the best interest to the town of Saratoga.

However, town engineer Chuck Bartlett said Weinman has been occupied with work, and was planning on submitting his resignation soon.

The board elected to wait until Weinman submits his letter of resignation. Weinman had yet to submit his letter at press time.

The planning commission went back to work on their bylaws.

The planning commission members engaged in various heated debates concerning unnecessary language. The debate escalated when Shannon questioned having a councilman on the board.

Shannon was not sure if having a councilman on the board was based on tradition, but he feels the council person would have enough duties with their positions to be sitting on individual boards.

“They should be getting information from all of the boards,” he said.

Shannon added not having a councilman would lead to more involvement from the public. There are currently council members on most boards in Saratoga, and all of the council people are voting members.

Chairman Rory Grubb said he thought it is “an asset” when council members are present at the meeting, but was against a council person voting.

Wilcoxson said even if he is not a voting member, he still has right to sit in on the meetings as a councilman and make recommendations to the council.

“I ran on the deal that I personally don’t believe in a lot of regulations,” Wilcoxson said. “When I see things are aren’t best for the community, that’s the way I vote … you guys cannot show me one time where my vote has made a difference and has carried one thing.”

After group discussion, Wilcoxson added, “I believe that the council, whether it’s me or somebody else, should have as much input on this board as they can. They are the final ones that catch the flak. They are the ones that adopt what is recommended.”

Shannon said the proposal was not personally directed at Wilcoxson. However, Shannon stressed having a councilperson on the board was unnecessary and has not seen the benefits of having one on the board.

The planning commission voted to have a councilperson as an eighth member of the board, as an advisor, but not a voting member. The motion was passed, with Wilcoxson and Karl Smith dissenting.

The next planning commission meeting will be 5:30 p.m. on July 8 at Saratoga Town Hall.