By Tim SchmidtRecord Managing EditorPublic input will be sought this month as Wright City officials determine the notification distance for people living near a property that is the subject of a public hearing.At last Thursday’s board of aldermen meeting, members voted 3-0 to approve the planning and zoning commission’s recommendation to keep the notification distance at 200 feet, and to have two signs displayed, one on the property and one at a prominent location, to alert nearby property owners.In addition, a building permit will expire at the end of six months under proposed changes to the ordinance.Alderman Jim Schuchmann, who owns a construction company, abstained from the vote.Currently, the city mails a notice to property owners within 200 feet of property that is the subject of a public hearing request.In July, Schuchmann had suggested extending the distance to 400 feet. His comments followed a previous planning and zoning meeting where some property owners did not feel 200 feet provided a large enough area to contact nearby property owners about a conditional use permit application.A public hearing on the revised ordinance will be held at the next planning and zoning commission meeting on Monday, Oct. 19, and at the board of aldermen meeting on Thursday, Oct. 22. Schuchmann said residents can attend the hearings to voice their opinion on what notification distance should be set.“Right now, it reverted back to 200 feet,” he said. “That still has to be determined by a public hearing. We now have it in the form to put it out to the public.”Public hearings are held on a number of matters, such as changes or amendments to the city code, zoning map or other special uses. The hearings allow parties for or against a request to speak to the board prior to a vote being taken.In an email to city officials, contracted building inspector Robert Barclay recommended not changing the district requirements since the current 200-foot distance is defined in the state statute. He said the change would be an additional burden to city staff to identify and send out more notices to property owners.In addition to the mailed notices, public hearing announcements are posted at city hall and in The Record, the legal newspaper for the county.The planning and zoning’s recommendation was passed by a 4-0 vote at its Sept. 22 meeting. Schuchmann abstained, while two members were absent.Wright City