The City of Danville and Boyle County Fiscal Court enacted a moratorium on the joint Danville Boyle County Planning and Zoning Commission on Sept. 2.

The moratorium will be in place for up to 45 days, and it puts a pause on all actions of P&Z except for administrative matters that were previously approved or recommended. The moratorium also includes a freeze on all financial transactions other than payroll and other obligations.

People will still be able to pick up applications for permits and other things, but applications will not be processed until the moratorium is up.

City Attorney Stephen Dexter explained that some P&Z members had not completed personal financial disclosures, which are required documents. County P&Z appointees previously completed the disclosures, but city appointees were not made aware of the need to complete the disclosures.

Dexter also explained that with previous P&Z Director Steve Hunter now gone and no new director in place, P&Z needs a general review before a new director starts. He said they have done this type of review for other agencies, like Parks and Recreation, every so often.

“It’s not an unprecedented action by any means, it’s one that we really would consider a best practice when there’s a change in leadership in a joint agency to have this type of review,” Dexter said.

The moratorium is allowing a task force to review the structural integrity of P&Z, its policies and procedures, and to make any changes they deem necessary, if any. The task force is made up of the county judge-executive, mayor of Danville, county administrator, city manager, county attorney and city attorney.

City commissioners and magistrates said they hope to see the moratorium lifted sooner than 45 days.