At a meeting this week, the Berlin Mayor and Council unanimously approved a temporary moratorium on specific actions of the planning commission until the vacant planning director position is filled.
Main Street in downtown Berlin is pictured.
Mallory Panuska Ames / Bayside Gazette
By Tara Fischer, Staff Writer
At their Monday, July 8 meeting, the Berlin Mayor and Council unanimously approved a temporary moratorium on specific actions of the planning commission until the vacant planning director position is filled.
The pause comes after former planning director Dave Engelhart’s passing in April. Since then, Rick Baldwin has acted as a consultant for the group. Town Administrator Mary Bohlen said that the initial resolution will be valid until September 15. It is intended that it be reviewed at the first August meeting of the Mayor and Council, where it may be extended to October.
The planning commission’s reaction to the moratorium at their June 12 meeting was unfavorable. However, Bohlen recommended the motion, which was passed by the Mayor and Council.
“The purpose is because we are down a planning director,” Bohlen said. “This is intended to be temporary … This is to give staff a bit of relief from having to approve what are very complex matters … Rick’s assistance has been invaluable, but he is not the planning director. He cannot sign off on things. He gives me solid advice, but he is not the authority.”
Bohlen said the town interviewed five candidates for the planning director role and elected two for in-person discussions to be had on Thursday, July 11. The goal is to have a new planning director in place within a month. The moratorium will allow the hire to complete the onboarding process and settle into the position.
The pause will apply to applicants for site plan approval, rezoning and property annexation. The planning commission will be permitted to meet publicly to discuss conceptual issues. If the Mayor and Council elect to extend the moratorium, it will be reviewed at the first meeting of each month until it is officially terminated.
“The objective is to be able to handle the complexities of these types of requests against the limited staff time that we have to be able to apply diligence to those requests,” Mayor Zack Tyndall said. “Rick does not work 40 hours a week, so we do not have full capacity in the planning office. We do not have what we need to handle complexity.”
Council member Steve Green emphasized that the moratorium does not mean Berlin is not “open for business.”
“We do not want to send a message that building permits and things like that are not still going to be allowed to move in a direction,” he said.
On July 10, the proposed Microtel Inn and Suites, intended to be placed off Route 113 in Berlin, went before the planning commission as a concept plan. The temporary pause did not impact the ability to have the discussion. The outcome of the meeting will be reported next week. However, Tyndall maintained that if the moratorium stalls the project, it would be an initial priority for the new director.
In addition to the halt, a filing deadline of 30 days prior to any regularly scheduled meeting of a board or commission was implemented as of June 17. The goal is to provide staff with ample time to discuss and consider submittals. The new policy will remain permanent.
The council also unanimously passed the motion to approve an additional $5,000 for Baldwin’s consulting contract to continue working for the town into the new fiscal year.