Laurel Urban Renewal Agency asks City to place bylaw change to expand board

The Laurel Urban Renewal Agency (LURA) on Dec. 8 said it has asked the City of Laurel to place a proposed bylaw change on the city agenda to expand its board from five to seven members.

Cami Story, who called the meeting to order, told members the committee submitted the bylaw change request in early September 2026 and that the change would add county and school voting members and bring the agency into compliance with state requirements. Story said she emailed the city attorney on Dec. 5, 2025 and notified the mayor on Dec. 7 asking that the change be placed on the Dec. 16 city agenda to also approve Peggy Pollock as a voting member; she said the committee had not yet received a response from the mayor’s office.

The proposed expansion, according to the committee discussion, is intended to preserve quorum and allow the current membership to remain active through the completion of multi-year projects. Committee members emphasized that adding two seats would align with whatever state-mandated composition the agency must maintain and would allow the inclusion of required county and school representatives.

The meeting record shows the minutes were approved during the session (motion moved by Judy Goldsby and seconded by Dean Rankin; outcome: approved). No formal vote on the bylaw amendment was taken at the Dec. 8 meeting; the committee’s next step is to obtain placement on the City of Laurel’s agenda and formal consideration by that governing body. The committee set its next meeting for Dec. 22, 2025.