Article I

1. A Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson shall be elected by a majority of the Commissioners at the second regular meeting in July of each year, or as soon thereafter as feasible. A quorum must be present to elect the Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson.
2. If the term of the Chairperson ends prior to the election of Chair and Vice-Chairperson, the Commission shall elect an interim Chair until the regularly-scheduled election.
3. In the absence of the Chairperson and the Vice-Chairperson, a Chairperson pro tem shall be elected informally by the members present to conduct the meeting.
4. In the event of the resignation of the Chairperson or Vice-Chairperson, the Commission shall expeditiously elect a new officer to fill the vacancy for the unexpired term.
5. The Chairperson shall preside at all Commission meetings and have the powers generally assigned such office in conducting the meetings.
6. It shall be the Chairperson’s duty to see that the transaction of Commission business is in accord with these By-laws.
7. The Planning Commission, by majority vote of those present may create special committees and assign one or more members to such committees.
8. If a Commission member has more than eight (8) total absences from regularly scheduled meetings in a calendar year, the Chairperson shall inform the City Council who may appoint a new Commission member to fill the member’s term.
9. No person shall hold the office of member of the Planning Commission unless that person is a resident of the city. If a member of the Planning Commission ceases to be a resident of the city, the office must be vacated.
10. A quorum is a majority of the commission.

Article III

1. All meetings of the Commission shall be open to the public.
2. Executive sessions may be held only with prior City Council approval and in accord with the requirements imposed by RCW 42.30.110 and 42.30.140.
3. To conduct official Planning Commission business, a quorum must be present. If no quorum exists due to members leaving the meeting, no official action can be taken.
4. All meetings of the Planning Commission shall be governed by these by-laws. Where the by-laws do not state otherwise, the parliamentary rules and procedures contained in the current edition of Roberts Rules of Order shall apply.
5. To the extent it does not violate public notice requirements, the printed agenda of a regular meeting may be modified, supplemented, or revised at the beginning of the meeting by the affirmative vote of the majority of Commission members present.
6. The Planning Commission may devote part of its meetings to an informational study session during which no comments from the public will be permitted, unless the Chairperson or a majority, on a case-by-case basis, decides otherwise.
7. Action is taken by a majority vote of the members present and voting.
8. After 9pm the Planning Commission shall hear no new agenda items, unless a majority of the Commissioners present should decide otherwise.
9. A staff person will be responsible for the written recording of all Planning Commission meetings. All minutes will be forwarded to the City Clerk and be made part of a permanent record.

Article IV

1. The preparation of the agenda will be the duty of the Community Development Director or his/her designee, and he or she will coordinate that preparation with the Chairperson.
2. The agenda may be divided into sections and continue until subsequent meetings when it is apparent that one meeting will not be sufficient to complete the scheduled business.
3. Copies of the agenda will be available to all Commission members at least two days prior to a regular meeting date.
4. The agenda will indicate whether the Planning Commission intends to take formal action on a particular matter.
5. The Commission may continue a public hearing to a future date only for the purpose of accepting new written or oral testimony solely from anyone who had signed up to speak on the original hearing date but did not have the opportunity to testify. A continued public hearing does not require new public notice. Once a public hearing is closed, it cannot be re-opened without issuance of a new public notice.
6. The agenda shall be confirmed at the beginning of each meeting.

Article VI

1. The Commission shall consider information and recommendations from staff and comments from the public during the study session.
2. Based on staff, public, and Commission input, the Commission determines its recommendations to be forwarded to the City Council.

1. Each speaker is limited to 3 minutes speaking time. If a speaker is representing an organization, that speaker shall be granted 5 minutes speaking time.
2. Members of the public attending study sessions may only speak if acknowledged by the Chairperson.
3. If audience dialogue becomes disruptive, the Chairperson may recess the meeting or request that the meeting be adjourned.
4. To communicate with the Commission on a matter not scheduled for Public Hearing, the public may write a letter and/or speak during the duration of each meeting entitled "Public Comment" near the beginning of the agenda.

Article VIII

1. The Planning Commission at a regularly scheduled meeting may amend these by-laws.
2. The Burien City Council must approve all amendments.