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Practical Advise for Conducting Public Hearings Page 3 <br /> possible. Of course, the fact that people are concerned or afraid is of some relevance to <br /> the proceedings. However, the Chair or Board must act on factual findings and not <br /> sentiment. <br /> If many many people share the same viewpoint, they should be urged to appoint a <br /> spokesperson and avoid repetitive testimony. The Chair should indicate that there will be <br /> an opportunity for people who share the same viewpoint to indicate so by a show of <br /> hands, or some other method (not applause!). <br /> Hearing Procedure <br /> The following procedure is designed to provide opportunities for everyone to participate, <br /> but it separates the proceedings into periods of presentations, then periods of questions, <br /> and finally statements. The goal is to ensure that the information is completely and <br /> accurately understood before statements are presented either for or against the proposal. <br /> I. STAFF PRESENTATION <br /> The Staff identifies the subject property, describes the nature of the application, <br /> presents the zoning and planning issues, and explains the action to be taken by the <br /> Planning Commission, Council, or Board. This segment includes a concise description <br /> of the issues involved in the proceedings. <br /> IL QUESTIONS OF THE STAFF FROM THE PLANNING COMMISSION <br /> This is to ensure that the Planning Commission or Board fully understands the <br /> information that has been presented by the staff and the information that is in <br /> their background material packets. <br /> III. OUESTIONS OF THE STAFF FROM THE APPLICANTS AND THEIR <br /> REPRESENTATIVES <br /> This provides the opportunity for the applicants to ask questions of staff to provide <br /> additional information or to clarify information that has been presented by the staff <br /> or included in the planning report. <br /> IV. OUESTIONS FROM THE PUBLIC FOR THE STAFF <br /> This provides an opportunity for anyone in the general public or other interested <br /> parties to ask questions about the information presented by the staff or included in <br /> the background material packets. This is an opportunity for the public to ask <br /> questions about what options are available to the Commission or Board regarding this <br /> matter and to understand the regulatory framework that relates to it. <br /> V. THE APPLICANT'S PRESENTATION <br /> This is the portion of the proceedings at which the applicant has the opportunity to <br /> put on his /her own presentation. This is the applicant's opportunity to present <br /> supportive information and factual information to demonstrate the proposal's <br />