Planning Commission Spring Workshop

The Planning and Development Department will host a Planning Commission Spring Workshop on Tuesday, April 25 from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. in the Town Hall Conference Room (Room CH126) at Conway City Hall. The meeting will be open to public and live-streamed to the city's YouTube channel and Conway Corporation Channel 22.

Session 1: FOIA & Communications

• Guest Speaker: Charles Finkenbinder – City Attorney
• Time: 1:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.
• Time Allowed: 15 Minute Presentation & 15 Minute Q&A
• Description: This session is meant to be an overview of the FOIA requirements that would most likely impact planning commissioners on a regular basis. The city attorney will present and then open the floor for discussion.

Session 2: Appeals Process

• Speaker: Kris Paxton – Director of Planning & Development
• Time: 1:30 p.m. – 1:45 p.m.
• Time Allowed: 10 Minute Presentation & 5 Minute Q&A
• Description: This will be a brief discussion on two types of appeals that may come to the Planning Commission. The Director will discuss appeals of code interpretations and appeals of decisions.

Session 3: Staff Reports

• Speakers: Beth Sketoe & Ryan Robeson – Senior Planners
• Time: 1:45 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.
• Time Allowed: 5 Minute Presentation & 10 Minute Q&A
• Description: Staff will discuss the process for Staff Reports, and how staff make their recommenda􏰀ons.

Session 4: Difficult Decisions

• Guest Speaker: Council Member Shelia Isby
• Time: 2:00 p.m. – 2:15 p.m.
• Time Allowed: 15 Minutes for Introduc􏰀on, Discussion by speaker, then Panel-style discussion
• Description: Council Member Isby has been a Council Member for over 25 years in Conway. She will discuss the process she uses to make difficult decisions, and how she comes to conclusions for difficult decisions.

Session 5: Quasi-Judicial Role

• Speaker: Kris Paxton – Director of Planning & Development
• Time: 2:15 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
• Time Allowed: 5 Minute Presentation & 10 Minute Q&A
• Description: Discussion of the role of the Planning Commission. What is a “quasi-judicial” role?

BREAK 15 Minutes (SNACKS/DRINKS: 2:30 p.m – 2:45 p.m.)

Session 6: Having Better Meetings

• Speaker: Kris Paxton – Director of Planning & Development
• Time: 2:45 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.
• Time Allowed: Quick overview of Planners Web Summary for “Holding Effective Public Meetngs” and then a group discussion for 30 minutes. Each commissioner should get an opportunity to speak.

Session 7: Planning Conway (INTERACTIVE)

• Speaker: Kris Paxton – Director of Planning & Development
• Time: 3:15 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
• Time Allowed: 15 Minutes for Zoning, 15 Minutes for Subdivisions, 15 Minutes for Signs
• Discussion: We will have an early discussion regarding updates to our oning, subdivision, and sign codes. This will be an interactive exercise to identify the commission’s views. Each commissioner will receive index cards in which they will submit one to two-word terms to consider for each topic.