County counsel: planning commission chair is the BOCC chair or that chair’s designee

County counsel David Tackett told the Tulsa County Board of County Commissioners that state law designates the chair of the planning commission as the chair of the BOCC or that chair’s designee.

"The chair designee is, it's the chair or their designee," Tackett said in response to commissioners’ questions about whether the position is a separate annual appointment. He added that under the statute the designation runs for the duration of the BOCC chair’s term: when the BOCC chair changes, the planning commission chair role changes as well or is held by whoever the new chair designates.

The clarification came after a commissioner asked whether the appointment in question was a year-long post or tied to the BOCC chair. Following counsel’s explanation, the board moved to approve the item after the legal context was provided. Minutes record the motion passed on a roll-call vote.

Why it matters: tying the planning commission chair to whoever holds the BOCC chair (or that chair’s designee) means that the planning commission leadership changes with BOCC leadership unless a designee is named. The board deferred other procedural choices around at-large appointments to develop a consistent vetting process before making further appointments.