The following letter was presented to the Sussex County Planning & Zoning Commission June 3 with a copy provided to the Cape Gazette for publication.
The planning & zoning commission decided May 26 to eliminate public comments made by phone. The reason given was that callers were often hard to understand.
However, I have to say that the same is true sometimes when the commissioners speak.
When the commission was discussing this matter, I could clearly hear Kim Hoey Stevenson and Holly Wingate speaking for working moms, but others were not understandable, and I wasn't sure of the commission's decision until P&Z Director Jamie Whitehouse told the Sussex County Council at its meeting June 6.
I agree some audio problems exist, often due to Wi-Fi or mobile network deficiencies, or the caller having more than one audio device turned on when speaking. Another problem is that while we speak on the phone, we cannot hear what commissioners say to interrupt or spontaneously answer the caller's questions. These should all be fixable, I believe.
Calling in became an accepted mode of making comments during the pandemic, but the reasons to keep it outweigh the reasons to remove it.
Since I often call in, I'd like to mention why some of us call instead of coming to Georgetown.
Seniors with driving/mobility issues - Many seniors, with slower reaction times and reduced peripheral vision issues, do not feel comfortable driving to Georgetown, 15 or even 30 miles away. As traffic conditions worsen with higher crash rates, driving in the dark, against the sun, during rush hour or in inclement weather is something we strive to reduce. Finding parking spots close enough to walk to the building is another matter.
Conflicting schedules - There are schedule conflicts with work, other meetings, health or family obligations, or travels. By the way, on Dec. 22, 2016, the commission approved the Middle Creek Preserve subdivision with only two commissioners voting in person and one commissioner voting on the phone. That's how this subdivision got three votes to be approved three days before Christmas!
If a commissioner was allowed to vote by phone to decide on a 314-unit subdivision, why shouldn't the public be allowed to comment on the phone?
Unplanned public comments - This last one is yet the biggest reason I call in to make comments: Sometimes the applicant's presentation or other commenters at the hearing shed light on something, and I call in response. Isn't this the same reason the commission often defers the vote?
If we are watching it at home or work, we cannot drive to make a comment hoping the public hearing is not over by the time we get there. And the public is not paid for their time and fuel to drive there every other week just in case they might make comments.
For this reason, if phone-in comments are not allowed, the public record must be left open for at least seven days after the hearing ends.
By the way, I appreciate commissioners showing up every other week and driving around the county to look at numerous sites proposed in land-use applications.
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