Planning Commission

Membership

The planning commission shall consist of eight (8) members to be appointed by the city council. The terms of office of the members shall be for four (4) years. Any vacancy in membership shall be filled for the unexpired term by the mayor who shall also have the authority to remove any member for cause, on written charges, after a public hearing. All members shall serve without compensation but may be reimbursed for actual expenses incurred in connection with their official duties.

Organization, meetings, rules, staff and finances

The planning commission shall elect a chairman and vice-chairman from among its members. The term of the chairman and other officers shall be one year with eligibility for reelection. It shall appoint a secretary who may be an officer or an employee of the governing authority or of the planning commission. The planning commission shall adopt rules for the transaction of business and shall keep a record of its recommendations, transactions, findings and determinations; and shall meet at the call of the chairman and at such times as the chairman or commission may determine. All meetings of the planning commission at which official action is taken shall be open to the public and all records of the commission shall be a public record. The commission may appoint such employees and staff as it may deem necessary for its work and may make expenditures for salaries of any employees and staff, contracts with consultants, and for the purchase of required equipment and supplies. The expenditures of the commission, exclusive of gifts, shall be within the amounts appropriated for such purpose by the city council.

General powers and duties

  • (a)   From and after the time when the planning commission shall have organized and selected its officers and shall have adopted its rules of procedure, such commission shall have all the powers, duties and responsibilities set forth in South Carolina Code of Laws 1976, sections 6-7-310 through 6-7-390, as amended.
  • (b)   In general, the planning commission shall have the power to:
    • (1)   Prepare and revise periodically a comprehensive plan and program for the development of its jurisdiction.
    • (2)   Prepare and recommend for adoption to the appropriate governing authority or authorities as a means for implementing the plan and program.
      • a.   Zoning ordinances or resolutions, and maps and appropriate revisions thereof for its jurisdiction.
      • b.   Regulations for the subdivision of land and appropriate revisions thereof within its jurisdiction and to administer the regulations that may be adopted.
      • c.   An official map and appropriate revisions, thereof showing the exact location of existing or proposed public street, highway and utility rights-of-way and public building sites, together with regulations to control the erection of buildings or other structures or changes in land use within such rights-of-way, building sites or open spaces within its political jurisdiction or a specified portion thereof.
    • (3)   Establishing principles and policies for guiding action in the development of the area.
    • (4)   Preparing and recommending to the city council for adoption ordinances promoting orderly development in accordance with the comprehensive plan, other than those previously mentioned.
    • (5)   Determining whether specific proposed developments conform to the principles and requirements of the comprehensive plan for the growth and improvement of the area.
    • (6)   Reviewing and recommending to the city council any needed changes in the zoning ordinance and the map of the city, as well as the subdivision regulations, official maps, and other codes, ordinances and controls related to the municipality's development.
    • (7)   Keeping the city council and the general public informed and advised as to these matters.