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5 hearing to a future specific time and date when additional information is required prior to Planning Commission action. h.Discussion. Once the hearing is closed, the Chair invites members to discuss the issue. The purpose of discussion is to ensure that adequate information has been gathered to formulate a motion. The Commission may ask staff, applicant, or members of the public for clarification of specific points. F.Following discussion, a motion for action on the item should be made. Motion may be to recommend approval, recommend denial, or to table action. If the hearing was continued (see g. above), a motion to table action would be in order. The Planning Commission should be aware of any “60-Day Rule” issues relating to the amount of time for a decision. a.A motion for action must be seconded. Occasionally, a member may request that a specific motion be amended to include additional language, such as a new condition or to refer to certain findings. For most circumstances, this is done by requesting that the motion-maker and the second accept a “friendly amendment”, without separate votes on the amendment. b.If the motion-maker and/or second do not accept the “friendly amendment”, a member may make a motion to have a formal vote to amend the original motion – this is a rare occurrence in informal meeting settings such as a Planning Commission. c.Once the language of the motion is agreed to, the Chair calls for a vote. For most zoning-related items, a simple majority of members present carries the item. d.Special situations: i.If a motion to deny or approve fails to receive a simple majority (either gains only a minority or ends in a tie vote), the Chair should declare that the motion fails, and ask those who voted against the motion to state their reasons on the record. Under this scenario, the item goes to the City Council without a recommendation from Planning Commission, with the stated reasons servings as the “findings”. ii.In the alternative, a member may make a substitute motion and the Commission may consider it separately. G.After all items on the adopted agenda have been disposed of, the Chair may entertain a motion to adjourn. This is considered a non-debatable motion, and should proceed directly to a vote after it has been seconded. Comprehensive Plan The City’s Comprehensive Plan is a document that describes the community’s vision of itself in the future. The enabling planning statutes (found in Minn. Stat. §462.351 through §462.364) give a community the authority to plan and manage land use and related facilities (such as transportation, utilities, and other functions) to accomplish specific objectives. These objectives are quoted as follows: The legislature finds that municipalities are face with mounting problems in providing means of guiding future development of land so as to insure a safer,