Longtime members Felix Knauth, Susan Kelly, Stuart Welsh, and Albert Straus have quit the board, and at least two others are reported to be considering leaving as well.

Departing members this week said a handful of Marshall residents have disrupted meetings so much that conducting any business at all is more trouble than it's worth.

"It became ugly," said Marshall dairyman Straus. "A lot of people put a lot of time and effort into [the Planning Group], and getting yelled at during the meetings is not worthwhile or productive."

The East Shore Planning Group advises the county on land-use and other zoning matters in the Marshall area.

The brouhaha stems from a letter the Planning Group sent to county planning staff, recommending that the county take action against Marshall resident Marsha Horton for making unpermitted improvements to her bayside home.

Many Marshall residents have criticized the Planning Group for taking such a hard stance on Horton. Some of them charged the Planning Group with retaliating against Horton because in the past year she herself had turned in Marshall Arts Community Center for building code violations.

Nonsense, said Straus, noting the Planning Group responded to the Horton matter because it was requested to do so by the county.

The county has not asked the Planning Group to comment on Marshall Arts, he said. "It was never an issue for us. [Marshall Arts] never went to the permit process. Personally, I don't think we've done anything wrong. It's time to start over."