Here’s what voters need to know about Granville’s proposed charter amendments.

Granville voters will decide Nov. 5 on two charter amendments that would allow the village to add more members to some boards.

Here’s what you need to know about the amendments and why the village wants voters to approve them.

The Village of Granville strives to reach quorum more often.

village charter states that two of its boards—the planning commission and the zoning and building appeals commission—shall consist of five members each, with a majority required to form a quorum.

The ballot asks voters to consider adding two members to each board, as well as amending the bylaws to allow both boards to have seven members. The seven-member panel maintains a tiebreaker when members vote item by item and can make it more likely that boards will reach a quorum.

Voters first adopted the charter in 1964, according to the village. Voters have not amended the bylaw language regarding boards of directors since then, Village Manager Herb Koehler said, but staff want amendments so they can maintain a quorum at all times.

In recent months, boards have regularly struggled to maintain quorum. Village employees spoke about the amendments in online questions. Koehler said some members were unavailable due to vacations or business trips, making it difficult for the required three of five members to attend meetings.

Koehler estimates the planning commission fails to reach a quorum at least three to four times a year. There are fewer of them on the Zoning and Building Appeals Board, but each case requires rescheduling meetings and rescheduling agendas containing proposals and issues for members to consider.

Canceled appointments lead to longer wait times and additional costs, village staff say

In an online Q&A, village staff said Granville is “facing development pressures and growth at a rate we have never faced before.” Planning commission and zoning and building board meetings provide an opportunity for developers and residents to present their applications, sometimes for housing, to members.

But when those meetings are postponed, interested parties face longer delays in getting their applications processed and may face additional costs, village staff say.

“We had a reputation for being anti-development, and over the last several years we have worked hard to avoid being labeled as an anti-development municipality,” Koehler said, attributing the delays to that perception. “We are clear that we will continue to evolve and change, but we want to do it responsibly and intelligently.”

Koehler said he believes seven-member boards will help speed up responses to requests and limit the frequency of meeting cancellations.

Adding members to boards won’t cost taxpayers money.

The village charter states that people serving on the planning commission and zoning and building appeals boards do so without compensation. As unpaid volunteers, they may be required to participate in annual training to serve as board members.

However, larger boards can make it difficult to reach consensus and complicate meeting scheduling, among other problems. according to Ardent Residential. This is of course hypothetical as Granville may not have any problem with this if they add board members.

The company also says larger boards diversify perspectives and help members share their workload, among other benefits.

Granville will soon gain new members if the measure passes

If voters approve the amendments, Granville start recruiting new board members the remainder of November and December, Koehler said. Members can begin serving three-year terms on Jan. 1, but village staff may still be processing applications after that date.

Advocate reporter Josue Perez can be reached at [email protected]..

This article originally appeared on the Newark Advocate: Granville wants to amend its bylaws to add board members. That’s why