Tim Graham might be a newcomer to the City-County Planning Commission of Warren County, but he is no stranger to the work done by the commission.

Graham, president and CEO of Bowling Green’s Design Builders Inc., was appointed to the planning commission last week by Warren County Judge-Executive Mike Buchanon and Warren County Fiscal Court. He fills an opening created when Larkin Ritter stepped down in August after nearly 20 years on the commission.

Laying out Graham’s qualifications to the fiscal court’s magistrates, Buchanon pointed out his 28-year history as a builder and the leadership roles he has played in the Builders Association of South Central Kentucky.

But the judge-executive emphasized another qualification: Graham served on the Comprehensive Plan Task Force that developed the Focus 2030 comprehensive plan adopted by the planning commission in 2011 and continues to guide many of the planning and zoning recommendations made by the commission.

“I put a lot of work into that (comprehensive plan),” said Graham, 55. “I learned a lot about the process that goes into planning and zoning.”

Graham, a past president of the builders association, said the comprehensive plan has brought consistency to the planning commission’s work.

“Under the old system, if someone wanted to develop a piece of property, the planning commission was tasked with deciding if it was compatible with the surrounding area and whether it should be developed.

“The comprehensive plan included the Future Land Use Map that is available to everyone. We can look at the FLUM and see if it looks like a particular property is designated for a future use of single-family residential or whatever. It informs buyers of property and has streamlined the process a little bit.”

Graham is also familiar with construction, having built custom homes for nearly three decades. He has earned the graduate master builder designation from the National Home Builders Association.

Although he’s well-prepared for the role, Graham knows that the job of a planning commissioner isn’t easy when your decisions affect developers and residents alike.

“It’s a difficult job and very much a service position for me,” he said. “It (the planning and zoning process) is an emotional event for many people, and I fully understand that. You have to be respectful and make the vote you think is going to improve Bowling Green and Warren County.”

Graham’s appointment as one of the four Warren County representatives means the planning commission again has its full complement of 12 members. He joins Chairperson Velma Runner, Vice Chair Tim Huston and Christiaan Volkert as Warren County representatives.

The city of Bowling Green representatives are Dean Warren, Greg Gay, Chuck Coppinger and Doug Martens.

The remaining four members come from the county’s other municipalities, with Mary Belle Ballance representing Oakland, Eric Madison representing Woodburn, Phillip Cashin representing Plum Springs and Albert Rich representing Smiths Grove.