A week after five members of the Montgomery County Planning Board resigned, the county council plans to to appoint a temporary planning board to oversee ongoing projects, according to Council President Gabe Albornoz.
The five members of the board resigned last Wednesday after a series of controversies that involved allegations of a toxic and misogynistic workplace and ethical violations. Albornoz said the council heard from former planning board members and experienced individuals who are interested in taking the temporary slots.
“These will be caretakers,” Albornoz said. “These will be folks that build a bridge until at such time we’re able to appoint the permanent members, but again, it will be the next council that makes those appointments because of the timing of all of this.”
The board focuses on approving individual development proposals and long-term plans on how the county will look in the future.
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Two upcoming planning board meetings have been canceled. The full council will interview candidates for the temporary positions on Oct. 25 and vote on the temporary board two days later.
“I think some of the conflict that arose was not specifically with regards to the job assignment that planning board members have, but there were other external factors that have been reported on and that created conflict that was really starting to bleed into the morale of the staff in a very significant way,” Albronoz said.
Albornoz said he does not think any ongoing projects will be disrupted by the resignations, and the council hopes to have a permanent board in place by December.
