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Planners need information to sharpen focus

February 20, 2017

Abraham Lincoln is, perhaps erroneously, credited with saying if he had an hour to chop down a tree, he'd spend the first 40 minutes sharpening the ax. Whoever said it, the words apply to the county's 2018 Comprehensive Plan.

Planning Commissioner Marty Ross says the process for developing the plan is broken. The commission is charged with writing the plan, but so far, the commissioners are merely spectators, he said.

That's a serious charge from one of five people charged with writing the new plan.

Making matters worse, Ross and planning commission Chairman Bob Wheatley are the only people who have served on the commission for more than nine months.

Two new members were appointed in 2016, and Kim Hoey Stevenson, who represents the fastest growing region in the county, was appointed to the commission a week ago.

That's not to say new commissioners are not capable of developing a plan. But considering the commission's overall inexperience, citizens have a great stake in learning what's in the plan, making their opinions known and carefully monitoring the plan's development.

Consultants have put together a draft and invited online public comment. In addition, the planning and zoning commission accepts comments on the plan at the end of each meeting; workshops and hearings will also be scheduled.

The county website notes, "Public input is a vital piece of the Comprehensive Plan. Your comments and insight will help guide what the county will look like in the future."

But the draft so far lacks basic statistics such as population growth in towns or anticipated job growth. There are no detailed maps of environmentally sensitive areas or those susceptible to flooding. The document is so vague, it's hard to know where comments should begin. And then there is the great unanswered question: What is the mechanism for incorporating public input into the plan? Consultants can record comments by the thousands, but how will the plan reflect those comments?

Officials have yet to even settle on a vision.

Citizens and leaders need information to map their future. A year into this plan, it's time to sharpen our ax.

 

  • Editorials are considered and written by Cape Gazette Editorial Board members, including Publisher Chris Rausch, Editor Jen Ellingsworth, News Editor Nick Roth and reporters Ron MacArthur and Chris Flood. 

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