CYPRESS : Restoration of Panel for Planning Studied
The City Council is studying whether to re-establish a planning commission, which was abolished in 1978 due to a lack of funding.
The idea is being proposed by Councilman Walter Bowman, who noted the council’s agenda is so overloaded with planning decisions that council meetings often last until midnight.
“There seems to be a consensus that something needs to be done,” Bowman said. “The (planning commission) hearing process is a format for better government. It is another opportunity for the public to be heard.”
Cypress is among three cities in Orange County that do not have a planning commission. The other two, Villa Park and La Palma, have design review committees, which perform many planning functions.
According to Deputy City Clerk Lillian Haina, evening City Council meetings start at 7:30 p.m. and last an average of 4 1/2 hours. The longest meeting lasted six hours, she said. The average agenda has 35 to 40 items and four or five public hearings.
Re-establishing the commission could cost the city from $20,000 to $94,000 a year. The City Council will discuss the issue at a study session Tuesday and vote on the matter the next week.
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