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Ashland council embraces idea of public involvement By DANI DODGE ASHLAND -- No public project should be built in Ashland without members of the community having a chance to have their say, the council and staff agreed Thursday. The more people involved in a project, the more likely it will be successful, council members said, embarking on a plan to formalize the process of gathering public views. "I've heard and felt some disconnect happening with people when they are involved or observing the process and I think we can do better than that," said councilwoman Carole Wheeldon. "To make it an efficient process for staff and public will create a better product." One of the council's goals this year was to create a process to effectively involve citizens in city decision-making. The council began that work at a study session Thursday afternoon. A public hearing on the tentative plan is scheduled for November. The final plan is scheduled to be adopted in December. "We are throwing a net out and saying how can we get people involved and get the best project available," said City Administrator Mike Freeman. One of the first steps to achieve the goal will be to review past projects such as hillside development and local improvement district revisions, said Administrative Services Director Dick Wanderscheid. "We will go back three years and look at projects with citizen involvement," Wanderscheid "We will interview people involved and see what they liked and didn't like." Councilman Don Laws questioned whether a "generic" program of involvement will work with the huge scope of projects, large and small, before the city. Freeman said the formal process wouldn't "box people in" but instead would give people who want to be involved a better idea what their role will be in decision-making. Several council members said that if people understand their role in the process, they may be less frustrated by the results. Councilman David Fine suggested the council set up standards before coming up with a formal process. He jotted down five standards on the back of an envelope during the meeting: Guarantee citizens full access to information; Properly give notice of projects; Guarantee public involvement; Report tentative decisions to allow public feedback before final decisions are made; Report any decision made by a committee or commission to the city council where people could have a final chance to have their say. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA