Okay, I'm gonna call the Wilmington City Council special joint session meeting with the Planning Commission this Monday, October the 6th, 2025 into order.

And at this time I am going to have a roll call.

Mayor Pro Tem, are you here?

Okay, Councilman Reinbark, are you here?

Yes, sir.

Councilmember Spears, are you here?

Unfortunate.

Councilmember Waddell, are you here?

Councilmember Andrews, are you here?

Council Member Joyner, are you here?

And the chair is here.

So all of us are here and accounted for.

Commissioner Pollock.

Yes.

Commissioner Adams.

Commissioner Collier.

Here.

Here.

Commissioner Kofer is has a uh personal absence.

Uh Commissioner Jones and Commissioner Woodruff.

Here okay.

So the work disc session discussion topics are included in this agenda that we have before us.

Uh the role of the commission, the greater downtown plan, the upcoming land development code, LDC amendments to create Wilmington Comprehensive Plan update and other topics of interest between the council and the commission.

So I'm gonna turn this over to Linda because you're looking at me, so I think I'm gonna look turn it over to you and talk about the role of the commission.

And I know that we have our city attorney here that will correct us if we're uh bearing off base or if we got it wrong.

Good morning, everyone.

Mayor, mayor, pro tem, uh Chairman Lennon and Vice Chairman Adams.

Thank you for coming together this morning uh for this joint meeting.

In terms of the role of the commission, uh, that's actually something I'm gonna turn over to our commission members because when we sat down with the previous chair to I identify agenda topics, that was something that came up.

And so I'm gonna let I can I'll let them speak for themselves in terms of the conversation they want to have.

And as you know, you do receive recommendations from the commission uh on all rezoning applications, street closures, uh, and other other land use applications as well as land development code amendments.

The commission is also integral in our long-range planning efforts, and so that's one of the things that we can update you on this morning after you get through some of your other discussion items.

And with that, I'll turn it over to our commission members.

Okay, may I jump in real quick before that gets started?

This is this this format is not new.

We used to practice this on a regular basis in years gone by, and and there has been one instance in I think it was three or four years ago where the commission members at that time were a little bit, you know, I don't know what went down, but it was a little bit of gray area that we needed to get clear on as to exactly what the role of the commission was.

And and even there was some members on council that weren't really clear as to as to what their mission was.

And that was that was really the impetus.

I I've been asking for this meeting since all of 2025, and here we are today in October.

So I I hope that there is some good back and forth with the commission members as to what they think it should be and and hope how that can align with what we expect because I think that there's more on the plate of the planning commission than what we're seeing merely at not more so than just betting uh projects before we get them uh the land development code.

So with that said, have at it.

Not sure how to follow that, but um, but I appreciate it.

And I I would say uh I'll just start from my perspective.

I've always considered my service here as an advisory capacity to make a recommendation to approve or deny particular projects for council to ultimately vote on.

I think the other thing Linda touched on where I think the commission can be of benefit are in some of the long-range planning items and general zoning questions that come up within the city really because we're we're sort of the front line, so to speak.

Typically 200 people show up in front of us before they show up in front of you.

So we know kind of where some of the issues are and can help with council to that end.

By the same token, it's a I I appreciate these meetings because it's great to get feedback from council as to sort of what direction you all feel the city is heading in, particularly when it comes to zoning and land use.

Well, I've said it before, and I tell everybody uh that I run into when the subject of zoning and and our meetings come up.

Uh I've always been a uh the you guys are and we're the tip of the spear because you know it stops with us, but I don't know what we would do if it were not for the planning commission vetting those things.

I mean, we get all y'all kind of trim the fat or add to it or what have you before we get it, and that's extremely valuable.

But there's more to the planning commission, in my opinion, as it has been in in the past, than just vetting projects twice a month and and sending them to us.

And and and I don't know if that's something that this commission feels like that they they they would like to have more better seat at the table, if you will, or or just you're satisfied with you think that's just what the commission's role is is just vetting products but projects before they get to council.

Commissioner Pollard.

Yeah, um, to play off of that, the um, you know, and I'm the one that kind of drove this topic, so as Linda said, you know, um, that's how we got here.

And I focus really on the you know, the the some of the duties are pretty straightforward, but it's long-range plans and policies, and I and I'll I'll personalize it so you know all cards on the table.

You know, after spending you know 40 years doing strategic planning, financial planning, long-range planning, uh operational planning, not just domestically, but for customers, 55 countries across here.

I just want to take those skills and see if I can help the city because I I'm gonna be very honest.

I love being on this commission.

This is this is very, very interesting to me.