[HISTORY: Adopted by the Town of Wells 11-5-2019.[1] Amendments noted where applicable.]
[1]
Editor's Note: This ordinance was adopted at a Special Town
Meeting by citizen petition.
A.
Statement of purpose. This chapter is enacted as a result of public
dissatisfaction with irregularities and lack of transparency in the
preparation of the 2016 Comprehensive Plan Update, as well as the
process employed in such preparation. This chapter is intended to
ensure the maximum public participation in future updates; and, to
ensure public awareness of proposed departures from the previous Comprehensive
Plan (at this time the "2005 Comprehensive Plan"), through consistent
document content structure with the prior Comprehensive Plan, and
requiring that changes to the prior Plan be highlighted or otherwise
made conspicuous in the updated plan, to enhance public comprehension
with respect to changes.
B.
This chapter is adopted pursuant to the home rule provisions of Article
VIII, Part 2, Section 1, of the Maine Constitution and 30-A M.R.S.A.
§ 3001 as well as the Growth Management Act, 30-A M.R.S.A.§ 4324
et seq., and to implement the Town of Wells, Maine, Comprehensive
Plan.
A.
The CPUC shall be a permanent standing committee. Appointments to
the CPUC shall be for staggered terms not to exceed three years. Within
60 days of the enactment of this chapter, the Board of Selectmen shall
appoint 11 qualified resident voters as members of the CPUC, a majority
of whom shall hold no other municipal office.
B.
Notwithstanding 30-A M.R.S.A. § 4324.2, no selectman, or
any Town employee, shall be eligible to serve on the CPUC. The Board
of Selectmen may provide a selectman liaison.
C.
The Board of Selectmen shall fill any vacancy for the remainder of
the unexpired term, in the manner provided for original appointments.
A vacancy shall exist if a member misses more than 30% of the regular
Committee meetings in a calendar year.
D.
The CPUC shall, from among its members, annually elect a Chairman
and a Vice Chairman who shall retain their voting rights.
E.
The CPUC will be staffed by the Town Planner/Engineer, Code Enforcement
Officer, Town Manager, and a recording secretary. The Town Manager
and Board of Selectmen shall provide additional clerical and technical
assistance, upon reasonable request of the CPUC. The Committee will
report regularly on its activities to the Board of Selectmen and seek
the Town Manager's approval for expenditure of any funds.
F.
The CPUC may adopt and amend rules to govern the conduct of its business,
consistent with the provisions of this chapter.
G.
Meetings of the CPUC shall appear on the Town Calendar, shall be
open to the public, and shall be video recorded and broadcasted live
to the public, whenever feasible.
H.
Streaming video playback of CPUC meetings shall be made available
from the Town's website within 24 hours, whenever feasible.
I.
Meetings of CPUC shall include a 10-minute "Open to the Public" comment
period at the beginning and at the end of each CPUC meeting, when
any member of the public may speak for three minutes, or such longer
time as the CPUC may permit.
A.
The 2005 Comprehensive Plan shall be used as the basis for the first
Comprehensive Plan update under this ordinance. Subsequent periodic
updates shall be constructed from the most current update. The 2005
Comprehensive Plan Table of Contents structure of Part 1 through Part
5 shall be maintained. The chapters of Part 2 shall maintain the same
five sections as the 2005 Comprehensive Plan: Introduction; Goals;
Policies; Standards; and Implementation Strategies.
B.
The first update after enactment of this chapter, and every subsequent
update recommended for adoption, shall be made widely available to
the public by the CPUC, in both a "clean" and a "mark-up/revision"
copy, at least 30 days prior to any public hearing.
C.
The CPUC will hold at least one public hearing on its proposed Comprehensive
Plan update. If a follow-up hearing is held pursuant to comments made
at a public hearing, the follow-up hearing may be conducted provided
the same public notice is given.
A.
Notwithstanding any adoption of any Comprehensive Plan update to
the 2005 Comprehensive Plan that may have been adopted prior to this
Ordinance, the 2005 Comprehensive Plan shall not be considered affected
by such adoption.
B.
The 2005 Comprehensive Plan shall remain in effect until replaced
by an updated Comprehensive Plan, in accordance with the substance
and procedures established in this chapter.
