Organizational changes are coming to one of Austin’s land use commissions following a Thursday vote by Austin City Council. The Planning Commission, a 15-seat, City Council-appointed body that weighs in on zoning changes and decides on subdivision applications, has been accused of having too many voices tied to real estate or land development. The city’s charter mandates that only one-third of the members can be “directly or indirectly” involved in real estate or land development. The anti-CodeNEXT group Community Not Commodity submitted the original complaint to the Travis County District Attorney. The group asserted that seven of the 13 current commissioners met an interpretation of “directly or indirectly” involved in real estate or land development. This comes as the controversial CodeNEXT—the city’s five-year, $8.5 million rewrite of the land development code—heads down the homestretch. On Thursday City Council debated the issue of how to interpret what makes someone “directly or indirectly” involved in real estate or land development. Also at issue was the process by which a current commissioner could be removed. After some attempts to clearly define what “directly or indirectly” means, council members took an alternate route and directed city staff to come back with a process of how to remove a commissioner by June 14. If staff cannot recommend a process within the limits of the city's charter, City Council directed the city manager to recommend a charter amendment. Any proposed change to the city's charter requires approval through a public vote. Andy Tate, spokesperson for the City of Austin, said if necessary, the question would be placed on November's ballot. The resolution also mandates that future Planning Commission candidates must complete a questionnaire that outlines their involvement in real estate or land development. The changes will not affect the CodeNEXT process as the Planning Commission is scheduled to submit its final recommendations on the city's new land use policy by the end of May. The resolution passed 6-4, with District 9 Council Member Kathie Tovo, District 7 Council Member Leslie Pool, District 10 Council Member Alison Alter and District 1 Council Member Ora Houston voted in opposition. District 8 Council Member Ellen Troxclair was absent.