June 26—MITCHELL — Jay Larson has been a fixture on the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission for four decades.
Monday’s Planning and Zoning Commission meeting was Larson’s last, as the longtime chairman steps down from the panel.
After lengthy discussions over key agenda items such as master plans for housing and controversial applications for conditional use permits, Larson always emerged from his past years on the commission with some wisdom.
“Part of this job is to look into that crystal ball of the future. And I don’t care how much Windex you apply or how many times you wash it, it’s cloudy,” Larson said of the challenges facing the committee members confronted. when making decisions on a biweekly basis.
Outgoing Mayor Bob Everson, who served on the commission for 20 years before serving two terms as mayor, thanked Larson for his years of service on the commission and highlighted his “wealth of knowledge” in urban planning.
“There’s a lot of knowledge that comes with you,” Everson said during Monday’s meeting. “We appreciate what you have done for the city of Mitchell.”
The members of the Planning and Zoning Commission are appointed by the incumbent mayor of Mitchell. Larson has earned the respect of a handful of mayors who have reappointed him to multiple terms since his appointment in 1984.
Committee members are not compensated for their role on the volunteer board.
“We serve at the pleasure of the mayor, and I have been fortunate to be reappointed a number of times,” Larson said.
The commission also makes recommendations on variance permits and district boundaries for financing tax increases. The recommendations are then considered by the Mitchell City Council – the governing body that ultimately decides most agenda items that come before the committee.
Larson had high praise for the committee’s existing members, saying the panel is “one of the best” he has worked with in his 40 years on the committee. The acting committee members are Jon Osterloo, Stratton Havlik, Jacob Sonne, Kevin Genzlinger, Jon Schmitz and Larry Jirsa.
“You study. You do your homework. You come with knowledge,” Larson said of the committee.
Larson also did a lot of homework, which helped him become more knowledgeable about the agenda items on which he was making decisions.
He regularly attended city planning meetings, state conferences and South Dakota Department of Transportation meetings.
Looking back on his four decades on the Planning and Zoning Commission, Larson said he enjoyed the experience.
“I enjoyed it. I really did,” an emotional Larson said before adjourning his final committee meeting on Monday.
The city will host a recognition event for Larson at City Hall on July 8.
