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Planning & Zoning Meeting - January 27th

Planning & Zoning

Tuesday, January 27, 2026

Agenda

What was on the agenda.

Packet

The supporting materials council reviewed.

Minutes

The official record of what happened.

One-line summary

The Planning & Zoning Commission elected new officers (effective the next meeting), approved prior minutes and the agenda, reviewed 2026 meeting dates, recommended adoption of the annual commission policy with edits, and adjourned early before recognizing Chair Dale Ames for 50 years of service.

What was on the agenda

10 items as recorded in the agenda, packet, and minutes, each with a plain-English summary of what was at issue.

1Call to Order and Pledge of Allegiance: 7:00 p.m.
Call to order and pledge were completed; no vote recorded.
- meeting_procedure
No action
p. 1p. 10:51
2Roll Call
Roll call was taken; attendance recorded in minutes.
- meeting_procedure
No action
p. 1p. 11:25
3Selection of Chair and Vice-Chair
The commission held its annual officer elections by roll call vote, selecting Commissioner Haapala as Chair and Commissioner Pearo as Vice-Chair, with both changes stated to take effect at the February 23, 2026 meeting after City Council approval.
Officer selections were decided by roll call vote; minutes state the new Chair and Vice-Chair will begin at the February meeting.
- officer_elections
Approved
p. 1p. 1
4Approve/Amend Meeting Agenda
- meeting_procedure
Approved
p. 1p. 28:37
52026 Meeting Dates
Chair noted City Council had already approved the schedule; no commission action recorded in the minutes.
- meeting_schedule
Discussion only
p. 1p. 2p. 29:00
6Approve/Amend Minutes from December 23, 2025, Regular Meeting
Approved with an amendment correcting the spelling of Commissioner Jorgensen's name.
- minutes_approval
Approved
p. 1p. 15:52
7Public Hearings
No public hearings were held.
- public_hearings
No action
p. 19:54
8Unfinished Business
No unfinished business items were taken up.
- unfinished_business
No action
p. 19:54
9a2026 Draft Policy of Planning and Zoning Commission
The commission reviewed the annual Planning and Zoning Commission policy and voted to recommend approval to the City Council, with a specific edit to change references from "City Administrator" to "City Clerk" (with no other substantive changes noted beyond updating dates).
Commission recommended approval with the change of the title "City Administrator" to "City Clerk".
- pz_policy
Approved
p. 1p. 210:12
10Adjournment
Meeting adjourned at 7:18 pm.
- meeting_procedure
Approved
p. 1p. 215:44

Other topics discussed

Topics that came up without tying to a specific agenda item.

Recognition of Chair Dale Ames retirement and 50 years of service
After the meeting adjourned, Mayor Hybben recognized Chair Dale Ames for 50 years of service to Burns Township and the City of Nowthen and thanked him on behalf of city staff, followed by applause and refreshments.
Speakers: Mayor Hybben.

Motions and votes

4 motions on the record. Split votes are highlighted.

M1MOTION BY COMMISSIONER PEARO, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER CARLSON TO APPROVE THE DECEMBER 23, 2025, MEETING MINUTES WITH AMENDMENTS TO COMMISSIONER JORGENSEN'S NAME.
Exact transcript text
MOTION BY COMMISSIONER PEARO, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER CARLSON TO APPROVE THE DECEMBER 23, 2025, MEETING MINUTES WITH AMENDMENTS TO COMMISSIONER JORGENSEN'S NAME.
moved by Commissioner Pearo, seconded by Commissioner Carlson
Passed
SEVEN (7) AYES.
p. 1
M2MOTION BY COMMISIONER PEARO, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER JORGENSEN TO APPROVE THE AGENDA AS PRESENTED.
Exact transcript text
MOTION BY COMMISIONER PEARO, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER JORGENSEN TO APPROVE THE AGENDA AS PRESENTED.
moved by COMMISIONER PEARO, seconded by COMMISSIONER JORGENSEN
Passed
SEVEN (7) AYES.
p. 2
M3MOTION BY COMMISSIONER PEARO, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER BIES TO RECOMMEND APPROVAL OF THE PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION POLICY WITH CHANGING THE TITLE "CITY ADMINISTRATOR" TO "CITY CLERK".
Exact transcript text
MOTION BY COMMISSIONER PEARO, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER BIES TO RECOMMEND APPROVAL OF THE PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION POLICY WITH CHANGING THE TITLE "CITY ADMINISTRATOR" TO "CITY CLERK".
moved by COMMISSIONER PEARO, seconded by COMMISSIONER BIES
Passed
SEVEN (7) AYES.
p. 2
M4MOTION BY COMMISSIONER CARLSON, SECONDED BY JORGENSEN, TO ADJOURN.
moved by COMMISSIONER CARLSON, seconded by JORGENSEN
Passed
SEVEN (7) AYES.
p. 2

Sources

Documents and recordings archived for this meeting, when available.

Show a sample of the transcript (110 segments, 17:10 total)

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