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 to know about the amendments and why the village wants voters to approve them.

Granville village seeks achieving quorum more frequently

The village's charter states that two of its boards — the planning commission and zoning and building appeals — must each have five members, with a majority required to constitute a quorum.

The ballot measures are asking voters to consider adding two members to each board, amending the charter to state both boards can have seven members. A seven-person panel maintains the tiebreaker when members vote on items and can increase the likelihood boards achieve quorum.

Voters first adopted the charter in 1964, according to the village. Voters have not amended the charter's language regarding boards since then, Village Manager Herb Koehler said, but staff want to amend it so they can hold quorum consistently.

In recent months, the boards have struggled maintaining a quorum regularly, village staff stated in an online Q&A about the amendments . Koehler said some members haven't been available because of vacations or business trips, making it more difficult to have the required three of five members at meetings.

Koehler estimated the planning commission doesn't achieve quorum at least three to four times per year. It's fewer for the zoning and building appeals board, but each instance requires rescheduling meetings and pushing back agendas containing proposals and items members must review.

Canceling meetings leads to longer wait times and additional costs, village staff say

In the online Q&A, village staff state Granville is "facing developmental pressure and growth at a rate we have never experienced before." Planning commission and zoning and building board meetings present opportunities for developers and residents to present their applications, at times for housing, to members.

But when those meetings are pushed back, those interested parties face longer delays to have their applications heard and may face additional costs, village staff say.

"We've had a reputation of being antidevelopment, and we've worked hard over the last several years to not be known as a municipality that's antidevelopment," Koehler said, attributing the delays to that perception. "We are sober to the fact that we will continue to develop and change, but we want to do it responsibly and in a smart way."

Koehler said he feels seven-member boards would help facilitate swifter responses to applications and limit frequency of canceling meetings.

Adding members to boards won't cost taxpayers money

The village's 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 about serving as board members.

Larger boards, however, can make achieving consensus more difficult and complicate scheduling meetings, among other challenges, according to Ardent Residential . That's hypothetical, of course, as Granville could have no issues with any of that if they add board members.

The company also states larger boards diversify perspectives and help members share workloads, among other benefits.

Granville would recruit new members soon if measure passes

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

Advocate reporter Josué Perez can be reached at jhperez@newarkadvocate.com .

This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Granville wants to amend its charter to add board members. Here's why