COSTA MESA : Council to Fill Post on Planning Board

The City Council will hold a special meeting today to select a new member for the Planning Commission.

Council members have agreed to move quickly to fill the open spot created by the recent death of Commissioner Clarence Clarke. A decision is expected to be made after the council’s regularly scheduled study session, which begins at 4 p.m.

In filling the vacancy, the council has two options: appointing someone either to finish Clarke’s unexpired term or for a complete four-year term.

In a related action, the council last week agreed to abolish the Transportation Commission and reassign some of its duties to the Planning Commission. Members of the defunct board were encouraged to apply for the opening.

The move could signal the end of other city commissions and committees as the council searches for ways to trim the budget.

“I see this as an opportunity for us to continue to look at how we do business in Costa Mesa,” said Councilwoman Mary Hornbuckle. “It will save us, I believe, a considerable amount of money.”

According to a staff report, it cost the city more than $44,000 in staff time to run the Transportation Commission. This figure includes costs for preparing reports, attending meetings and other related expenses.

However, Mayor Sandra L. Genis and Councilman Jay Humphrey said the staff costs will not be saved, just transferred from one commission’s budget to another. Both also expressed concerns that traffic issues would be ignored in the future and residents wouldn’t have a chance to air their problems.

“I hope it doesn’t mean a reduced focus on traffic and other planning issues,” Genis lamented.

The special meeting will be held in the fifth-floor conference room at City Hall, 77 Fair Drive.