Subverting established policy is not an acceptable way for appointed advisory board members to seek change in the community.
Elected city and county officials have a right to be perturbed if they believe members of the Lawrence-Douglas County Planning Commission are trying to set policy rather than make recommendations based on existing policy.
And contrary to Planning Commission Chairman Ron Durflinger's assertion, making decisions contrary to policies approved and enforced by elected officials is not an acceptable way to "get their attention."
In a growing community like Lawrence, the planning commission has significant power. Its job is to review proposed developments and see whether they conform to the county's long-range plan. Planners then make a recommendation to the city or county commission.
But the local planning commission apparently is stepping beyond that role. Durflinger doesn't deny that planning commissioners have made recommendations that go counter to the Horizon 2020 long-range plan, but he says the action is justified because "there seems to be no other way to get their attention that the policy is failing."
In fact, there are many ways to draw that to the attention of the elected officials. To name just two, planning commissioners could send a memo stating their objections along with their recommendation, or they could request an audience with city or county commissioners during a study session.
It's not enough for planners to say that the policies are wrong so it's OK to ignore them. If the city/county planning staffers applied that standard, chaos would result not to mention the loss of their jobs.
It's also not enough to say that planning commission decisions are only advisory and city and county commissioners need only vote against them. That is true, but elected officials need to be able to depend on the appointed planning commissioners to do the kind of detailed review that city and county commissioners may not have time for. If city and county commissioners are going to give that much attention to every matter that goes before the planning commission, there would be no need for an advisory board.
There are good reasons that the elected city and county commissions set policies like the planning regulations included in Horizon 2020. These bodies are directly responsible to the voters who put them in office. They also have a broader view of the city's needs and welfare than the members of their various appointed boards. They depend on those board members to review issues and make good recommendations or even let them know if they think the current policies need to be changed. But when appointed boards start flouting established policy to "get the attention" of the elected commissions, they undermine this relationship.
Being a member of the Lawrence-Douglas County Planning Commission is a big job, and the community should be grateful to anyone who donates his or her time to serve on this pivotal board. But these board members must recognize the limitations of their governmental role. They are advisers, not policymakers. It's an important line they should be careful not to cross.
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