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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Harvesting the fruit of seed money for art ... Tuesday growers market reopens ... School district leader Hummel announces resignation ... Harvesting the fruit of seed money for art ... Tuesday growers market reopens ... School district leader Hummel announces resignation ... OUR VIEW Our View: Getting informed Comment DailyTidings.com Writer Posted Mar. 3, 2016 at 12:01 AM Posted Mar. 3, 2016 at 12:01 AM » Social News When the city of Ashland approves a new development, or a plan, or virtually anything, complaints are often voiced that the decision must have been made in secret, without adequate public participation. These complaints come, understandably enough, from people who did not know about whatever was approved until it was a done deal. That doesn't mean the process was secret or the public shut out. It more likely means the people who were taken by surprise didn't pay close enough attention to the public process while it was happening. The city's website lists meeting times, agendas and minutes of past meetings for the City Council, the Planning Commission and many other boards and commissions. The law requires the city to provide that information, but not to make sure everyone reads it. It is incumbent upon interested residents to make the effort to find out. A recent guest opinion suggested that interested citizens could take it upon themselves to monitor various planning bodies and disseminate information. This could take the form of an email list that people could subscribe to. The idea is a good one, and well suited to Ashland's culture of civic involvement. Some safeguards would be needed. For instance, the list should be used only to share information, not as a forum for debate. An engaged citizenry is important to the civic health of any community. We encourage everyone to get involved in the decisions shaping this community. The first step to getting involved is becoming informed. DailyTidings.com Writer Posted Mar. 3, 2016 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2016 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. DailyTidings.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501