As part of its reorganization of the Planning and Zoning Commission, the town of Mancos is accepting applications for new commissioners.
On March 14, the Town Board voted to reduce the size of the commission, which has five regular members and two alternates, to five members, including the alternates, who will be required to attend meetings.
At their first official meeting of the year on March 21, current commissioners discussed their plans. Town Administrator Heather Alvarez announced she would accept applications through April 16.
The current commission, which includes Regina Roberts, Perry Lewis, John Cox, John Bolton and Leslie Feast, along with alternate Alexander Costen, has one more scheduled meeting on April 18. After that, Roberts said, the new commission will take over.
The Town Board is scheduled to swear in commissioners on April 25, along with trustees chosen in the April 3 election.
Alvarez told Roberts, Lewis and Cox, the three commissioners who attended the March 21 meeting, that they would have to submit applications as well.
Alvarez said they, along with new applicants, would have to “draw straws” in May to determine the length of their terms.
“I’m trying to make it as fair as possible,” she said.
The March 21 meeting marked the first time this year that the commission has had a quorum. Under new regulations set by the Town Board, the new commission will only need two members in attendance for a quorum, with voting ties to be broken by Mayor Queenie Barz or a town trustee.
Roberts voiced her opposition to that rule when the Town Board voted on it, but Lewis and Cox said they were in favor of the board’s suggestions when they discussed them in a joint workshop in February.
During their meeting, the commissioners held a public hearing in which they unanimously approved an accessory dwelling unit on 672 Grand Ave. They tabled a discussion on Region 9’s Montezuma County performance report until the next meeting, along with a review of two chapters of the town’s comprehensive plan.
Members of the Planning and Zoning Commission receive $50 per month for attending one meeting, typically held on the third Wednesday of the month. They must be at least 18 years old and live within Mancos town limits.
As of Tuesday, Alvarez said she had received only one application for the Commission, which was not submitted by any of the current commissioners.