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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend October 7, 2005 County gets an ‘F’ for effort Grade reflecting citizen access prompts officials’ resolve to open planning process By DAMIAN MANN Mail Tribune Jackson County received a failing grade from a state land-use committee for a lack of citizen participation in the planning process, but plans are in the works to correct that in the near future. On a scale of zero to 10, the county received a score of only 1, although 12 counties in the state received a zero, the lowest mark. "I would agree with the report card," said county Commissioner Dave Gilmour. "We have not done a good job. We’ve let things slide." In two separate surveys in 2003 and in 2004, the county showed no improvement in involving citizens in the planning process. The surveys, which only became publicly available recently, were prepared by the Citizen Involvement Advisory Committee, appointed by the state Land Conservation and Development Commission. Out of 36 counties in the state, only five had scores above 5 in 2004 — Multnomah, Washington, Clackamas, Douglas and Polk. Advertisement The scorecards grade counties on eight criteria, including such things as citizen involvement, how well they kept records of meetings and whether they prepared annual reports. Trish Bowcock, president of the League of Women Voters of Rogue Valley, said, "From the League’s perspective, the bad news is that citizen involvement has declined. The great news is there is a new program proposed." The proposal for more citizen involvement will be considered at 9 a.m. Thursday at a public hearing before the county Planning Commission at the Jackson County Auditorium, 10 S. Oakdale Ave. The League of Women Voters will hold its own meeting on the proposal and other land use issues at noon the same day. "The county is proposing a new system that is excellent on paper," said Bowcock, who hopes the county adopts many of the its recommendation. Under the proposed policies, the county would form a citizen involvement committee that reports directly to county commissioners. The committee would get technical and financial assistance from the county. In addition, the county would promote citizen advisory committees or other groups that would work on specific issues. These policies are an outgrowth of statewide planning goals. Gilmour said he would like to go one step further, proposing the creation of advisory committees to represent different areas of the county. They would represent areas like the Applegate, Sams Valley, Prospect or Green Springs. Unlike current advisory committees that have no real authority with the county, these committees would have elected members to better reflect the views of their areas and have more credibility in dealing with commissioners. Gilmour said this would help the county in dealing with situations that come up in these rural areas. "As commissioners, we don’t know what the pulse of these communities would be for these contentious issues," he said. Reeve Hennion, chairman of the Jackson County Planning Commission, said he basically agreed with the county’s low score the county received. However, he thought the county has involved the community in a less formal manner than the committee’s findings would suggest. "Informally, I think we would rate a lot better," he said. For example, a citizen’s group made up of representatives as diverse as Oregonians in Action and 1,000 Friends of Oregon helped review the county’s recently adopted Land Development Ordinance and Comprehensive Plan. At one time, the county had a dozen citizen advisory committees, but now only two remain active — in the Applegate and Sams Valley, he said. But he said the county has no problems with advisory committees becoming more active or offering advice or suggestions. "If an area wants a committee, great," he said. Hennion said that with e-mail, telephone "trees" and the Internet, it is easier for communities to keep their residents informed, lessening the need for these committees. The state’s criteria for determining whether a county adequately involves its citizenry in the planning process might be somewhat outdated, he suggested. The state committee is "assuming there is only one approach to citizen involvement," said Hennion, who nevertheless thought there was room for improvement. Pat Zimmerman, chair of the committee that prepared the survey, said the scorecard was designed to help counties and cities improve citizen participation in the planning process. Despite the bad review, Jackson County is actually doing better than its score would suggest, primarily because of the planning and land use information now available on its Web site, she said. "Jackson County is ahead of the game," she said, referring to its Internet presence. Of the eight criteria listed, the county had only successfully completed its comprehensive plan and land use goals. Hennion did take issue with one criteria in the report that claimed the planning department didn’t provide adequate minutes for its meetings. "I can show you pages of minutes," he said. Meeting set to dsicuss community involvement The League of Women Voters of the Rogue Valley will sponsor a public presentation Thursday on plans for doubling the population of Jackson County. The program will take place at noon, Oct. 13, at J.J. North’s Restaurant at 1016 N. Riverside Ave. in Medford. An optional lunch will be available for $7.25. The program will show which areas are targeted for growth and how this growth will affect local farmlands. The impact of Measure 37 will also be discussed. The League will also discuss the role citizens groups have in the planning process and proposals to improve it. Greg Holmes, Southern Oregon Planning Advocate for 1,000 Friends of Oregon, will discuss regional plans for growth and tell how citizens can be involved. Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476, or e-mail County gets an �F� for effort ">[email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker dvd-r Distance Education Computer Security Ztech Media Hosting Sports Equipment Online Casino Student Loans Online Pharmacy tcg student loan consolidation Online Casino Reviews Myspace Home Equity Loans Windermere Van Vleet Deep Muscle Stimulator Discount Hotel Reservations Southern Oregon Loans Online Casino News Casino Gambling Sites Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Salvia Divinorum Advertisement s