The Silver Creek Township Supervisors Planning and Zoning Board is comprised of the five Township Supervisors and the Planning and Zoning (P&Z) board members. This board meets on a monthly basis, as long as there P&Z items to be discussed. The meetings are conducted according to Parliamentary procedure. A meeting agenda is developed and followed to keep from drifting off topic, and to allow the public to see the order of events. Meeting minutes are approved and made available to the public.
Whether or not a township should adopt a comprehensive Land Use Plan, and subsequently formal land use regulations, depends on a number of factors. Only after careful consideration can any individual township decide if taking on its own land use controls makes sense for that particular community. Adopting land use controls is a means of regulating development to protect the health, safety and welfare of residents; to balance conflicting interests among property owners; to protect local special interests; and to protect or enhance the economic value of a community.With the authority to control how people use their land, however, comes responsibility, and to some degree, risk of litigation. The advantages of adopting a township comprehensive plan and related zoning ordinances include the ability to customize regulations to fit local issues, and the ability to adopt regulations more restrictive than those imposed by county-wide zoning regulations (such as a density ratio of one house per forty acres instead of one per ten acres). The disadvantages include increased administrative burdens and costs, political fall-out and and an increased risk of litigation. The ability to properly enforce a zoning ordinance is another challenge for many townships.