Planning Commission's first meeting canceled

The first meeting of the reconstituted Petaluma Planning Commission has been canceled, a few days after members of a previous version of the body filed a lawsuit against the city.

The meeting, scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 11, was listed as canceled on a notice posted on the city's Web site Thursday. No reason was given.

The new body, formed this summer after the council voted to disband the Planning Commission and design review board, SPARC, is made up of two former members of those boards as well as new appointees.

Three commissioners whose terms were not up and had sought seats on the new commission — but were not selected — filed a suit in Sonoma County Superior Court Monday, claiming the city did not follow its municipal and zoning codes in making the change.

Spence F. Burton, Kathleen Miller and Jack Rittenhouse claim the 4-3 council vote to dissolve the commission did not reach a minimum five-vote threshold required under city policy.

City Manager John Brown said earlier this week it was not known whether the commission meeting would go on as planned, but he declined comment on the lawsuit's allegations.

The City Council, meanwhile, scheduled a special closed session Monday night to discuss the lawsuit. The 5:30 p.m. meeting will open with time for comments from the public, but the rest of the session will be closed due to the pending litigation.

— Argus-Courier