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CHAPTER 15 • Minn.Stat.§462.354,subd.2. The board is also required to take minutes or compile a record of proceedings in which any findings,actions taken on all matters, and final orders must be included. The board can be the same body as the council or the planning agency,or it can be separate. If the board is a separate body, the council can provide that board decisions are final and subject only to judicial review, are final subject to appeal to the council and judicial review, or that decisions are only advisory to the council. B. Preparation, adoption, and amendment of comprehensive plans Minn star.§462.355. One of the primary responsibilities of the planning agency is to prepare, review,and periodically amend the comprehensive plan, in consultation and coordination with other municipal agencies and departments. Preparing a comprehensive plan is a large undertaking.While a planning agency or commission can and should do most of the job,many communities have found they also need professional assistance. A comprehensive plan often requires the assistance of a professional planning consultant or a competent person on the staff of the city, county, regional development commission,or neighboring city. Although their services are frequently helpful, consultants cannot and should • .not be solely responsible for the development of a comprehensive plan. Local officials, and planning agencies or commissions in particular, can help a professional planner create a plan that is realistic in terms of the temper, traditions,and hopes of the community. An active planning commission can keep the plan alive and updated, especially since it is a principal point of reference for council decisions. Community involvement is the key to adopting a comprehensive plan that will guide the implementation of the community's vision for the city. Before adopting a comprehensive plan, or when modifying an existing comprehensive plan to conform to the vision for a livable community, a city should hold a series of goal-setting sessions where citizens identify problems and opportunities and express their vision for their community. The planning commission or city council set community-planning goals, and share drafts of plan elements that address these goals with citizens in formal hearings. A written review period when citizens can respond to the proposals and drafts then occurs, after which a comprehensive plan that has consensus and legitimacy is adopted. 15-6 HANDBOOK FOR MINNESOTA CMES This chapter last revised 12/15/2004