ORLAND, Calif. -- After three years a planning commission has returned to Orland.

The new commission was officially seated by the city council last night following two months of training on the laws and regulations about planning new development.

Planning duties had been handled by the city council since the commission was disbanded in 2007, a decision that led to the unsuccessful recall of four council members.

Newly appointed commissioner Claire Arano says she thinks bringing back the commission is a good idea because it brings a new perspective to the city government.

“We don’t have any particular expertise in the area, we just have a desire to see good planning. When we’re trained and we know what we’re expected to do then we bring it from the perspective of the average citizen on the street who says, ‘why do they do things that way?’ We can ask those kind of questions and we can get those answers,” said Arano, who previously served on the Planning Commission until 2006.

The new planning commission will meet for the first time October 14.