The board of county commissioners, by resolution, may establish a planning commission for the county and shall fix the number of members on the commission. The commission shall consist of not less than nine nor more than 12 members who shall be appointed by the board of county commissioners. Nine of such members shall be residents of the unincorporated area of the county. The planning commission shall consist of one member of each zoning board in the county, as appointed by the board of county commissioners.
The members first appointed by the board of county commissioners to either a zoning board or the planning commission shall be appointed for terms of one, two and three years. The terms shall be divided equally or as nearly equally as possible among the members. Thereafter members shall be appointed for terms of three years each. All members shall serve until their successors are appointed and qualified. Vacancies shall be filled by appointment by the board of county commissioners for the unexpired term. Members shall serve without compensation for their services but may receive such traveling expenses as the board of county commissioners authorizes which shall be paid from any funds available for such purpose.
Each zoning board and the planning commission shall make and adopt, with the approval of the board of county commissioners, rules for the transaction of its business.
The board of county commissioners may employ any employees it deems necessary for the work of any zoning board or the planning commission and may contract with planners and other consultants for such services as it requires and may incur other necessary expenses. The expenditures of county funds for the payment of costs and expenses of the zoning boards and the planning commission shall at no time be in excess of the amounts budgeted and appropriated for that purpose by the board of county commissioners.
Each zoning board and the planning commission shall perform any additional duties that the board of county commissioners prescribes and, in all cases, shall be subject to the jurisdiction and under the control and approval of the board of county commissioners.
Upon the appointment of any consolidated zoning boards, any separate board which was established for the purpose of recommending rezonings or conditional use permits for any territory included within the territory subject to the jurisdiction of such consolidated boards, shall be dissolved by order of the board of county commissioners. Zoning boards for townships not affected by a resolution creating a consolidated zoning board, or affected only in part by such a resolution, may continue operating as originally established, as determined by the board of county commissioners.
The consolidated zoning boards shall meet, select officers and keep records in the same manner as provided for township zoning boards created under subsection (a) of this section. Such boards shall have the same powers and duties as prescribed for township zoning boards insofar as the same may be made applicable and shall perform any additional duties which the board of county commissioners prescribes and, in all cases, shall be subject to the jurisdiction and under the control and approval of the board of county commissioners.
K.S.A. 19-2957