The Arvin City Council voted this week to dissolve the city's Planning Commission and absorb its responsibilities, a decision that began with discussions in October.
The council gave unanimous direction to staff after hearing from an existing planning commissioner who encouraged the move, according to city officials.
"And at that meeting, the council gave unanimous direction to staff after a discussion and also hearing from an existing planning commissioner who also encouraged us to absorb the responsibilities of the planning commission," Calderon said.
A planning commission serves as an advisory board to city councils on matters of land use and community development. Its primary role is to help create and maintain a comprehensive plan that guides a city's long-term growth and development.
Arvin Mayor Olivia Calderon said one key reason for the change is that the Planning Commission only met once a month compared to the City Council's more frequent meetings.
"So when that would be lack of quorum and that meeting would be canceled for lack of quorum, it would delay approvals for development," Calderon said.
The mayor said the change will improve transparency and support the city's growth by streamlining the development review process.
"One, we want to expedite the review process for developments in our city. We want to make sure that we are preventing any duplicative efforts, so we want to save on staff time, and we want to make sure that we are cost effective and that we're transparent," Calderon said.
Calderon expressed confidence that City Council members can handle their expanded responsibilities.
"It was wonderful to see the council provide unanimous direction to move forward," Calderon said. "We're moving forward here in our city."
Future city councils retain the option to reinstate the Planning Commission if desired.
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