Indiana Code Title 36. Local Government § 36-7-4-402

Sec. 402. (a) ADVISORY.  Each advisory plan commission shall prescribe the qualifications of, appoint, remove, and fix the compensation of the employees of the commission, which compensation must conform to salaries and compensations fixed before that time by the fiscal body of the county or municipality, as the case may be.  The commission shall delegate authority to its employees to perform ministerial acts in all cases except where final action of the commission or a board of zoning appeals is required by law.

(b) AREA.  Each area plan commission shall prescribe the qualifications of, and with the consent of the executive director, fix the compensation of the employees of the planning department, which compensation must conform to salaries and compensations fixed before that time by the county fiscal body.  The commission shall delegate authority to its employees to perform ministerial acts in all cases except where final action of the commission or a board of zoning appeals is required by law.

(c) METRO.  The metropolitan development commission shall delegate authority to employees of the department of metropolitan development to perform ministerial acts in all cases except where final action of the commission or a board of zoning appeals is required by law.

(d) The plan commission may delegate to a hearing examiner or a committee of the commission the authority to conduct any public hearing required to be held by the commission or make any decision required to be made by the commission, or both.  However, only a plat committee appointed under section 701(e) of this chapter may be delegated the authority to make decisions under the 700 series of this chapter.  Such a hearing must be held upon the same notice and under the same rules as a hearing before the entire commission, and the examiner or committee shall report findings of fact and recommendations for decision to the commission or make the decision on behalf of the commission.  A decision made under the authority of this subsection may not be a basis for judicial review, but it may be appealed to the plan commission.  An interested person who wishes to appeal a decision made under the authority of this subsection must file the appeal not later than five (5) days after the date the decision is made, and the plan commission shall then hold the prescribed hearing and render its decision.

(e) METRO.  The metropolitan development commission may designate a historic preservation commission created under IC 36-7-11.1-3 to conduct the public hearing required to be held by the metropolitan development commission under the 600 series of this chapter relative to the territory included in a historic area or historic zoning district created under IC 36-7-11.1-6.  The hearing must be held upon the same notice and under the same rules as a hearing before the metropolitan development commission.  The historic preservation commission shall report to the metropolitan development commission the historic preservation commission's findings of fact and recommendations for decision.  The metropolitan development commission shall by rule provide reasonable opportunity for interested persons to file exceptions to the findings and recommendations.  If an exception is filed in accordance with the rules, the metropolitan development commission shall hold the prescribed hearing.  If an exception is not filed, the metropolitan development commission shall render a decision without further hearing.  However, this subsection does not eliminate the need for a historic preservation commission to issue a certificate of appropriateness under IC 36-7-11.1-8(e) before the approval of a rezoning by the metropolitan development commission.