Regional planning councils; powers and duties.

Any regional planning council created hereunder shall have the following powers:

(1) To adopt rules of procedure for the regulation of its affairs and the conduct of its business and to appoint from among its members a chair to serve annually; however, such chair may be subject to reelection.

(2) To adopt an official name and seal.

(3) To maintain an office at such place or places within the comprehensive planning district as it may designate.

(4) To employ and to compensate such personnel, consultants, and technical and professional assistants as it deems necessary to exercise the powers and perform the duties set forth in this act.

(5) To make and enter into all contracts and agreements necessary or incidental to the performance of its duties and the execution of its powers under this act.

(6) To hold public hearings and sponsor public forums in any part of the regional area whenever the council deems it necessary or useful in the execution of its other functions.

(7) To sue and be sued in its own name.

(8) To accept and receive, in furtherance of its functions, funds, grants, and services from the Federal Government or its agencies; from departments, agencies, and instrumentalities of state, municipal, or local government; or from private or civic sources. Each regional planning council shall render an accounting of the receipt and disbursement of all funds received by it, pursuant to the federal Older Americans Act, to the Legislature no later than March 1 of each year.

(9) To receive and expend such sums of money as shall be from time to time appropriated for its use by any county or municipality when approved by the council and to act as an agency to receive and expend federal funds for planning.

(10) To act in an advisory capacity to the constituent local governments in regional, metropolitan, county, and municipal planning matters.

(11) To cooperate, in the exercise of its planning functions, with federal and state agencies in planning for emergency management as defined in s. 252.34.

(12) To fix and collect membership dues, rents, or fees when appropriate.

(13) To acquire, own, hold in custody, operate, maintain, lease, or sell real or personal property.

(14) To dispose of any property acquired through the execution of an interlocal agreement under s. 163.01.

(15) To accept gifts, grants, assistance, funds, or bequests.

(16) To conduct studies of the resources of the region.

(17) To participate with other governmental agencies, educational institutions, and private organizations in the coordination or conduct of its activities.

(18) To select and appoint such advisory bodies as the council may find appropriate for the conduct of its activities.

(19) To enter into contracts to provide, at cost, such services related to its responsibilities as may be requested by local governments within the region and which the council finds feasible to perform.

(20) To provide technical assistance to local governments on growth management matters.

(21) To perform a coordinating function among other regional entities relating to preparation and assurance of regular review of the strategic regional policy plan, with the entities to be coordinated determined by the topics addressed in the strategic regional policy plan.

(22) To coordinate land development and transportation policies in a manner that fosters regionwide transportation systems.

(23) To review plans of independent transportation authorities and metropolitan planning organizations to identify inconsistencies between those agencies’ plans and applicable local government plans.

(24) To use personnel, consultants, or technical or professional assistants of the council to help local governments within the geographic area covered by the council conduct economic development activities.

(25) To provide consulting services to a private developer or landowner for a project, if not serving in a review capacity in the future, except that statutorily mandated services may be provided by the regional planning council regardless of its review role.