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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend April 13, 2006 Citizens demand advisory power By DAMIAN MANN Mail Tribune An attempt to make Jackson County bureaucracy easier to navigate only showed how much misunderstanding already has been generated by a proposal to encourage more citizen involvement. "It’s kind of a confusing mess at this point," said Walt Fitzgerald, a member of the Sams Valley Citizen Advisory Committee. County commissioners held a public hearing Wednesday to discuss creation of a citizen involvement committee that will help educate the public about land-use issues, a requirement of state law. However, the county sent out a notice recently that stated citizen advisory committees serving outlying communities would be removed and replaced by the new citizen involvement committee. "One of the concerns is: Are the citizen advisory committees going to be replaced?" asked Robert Scott, president of the Upper Rogue/Prospect Citizen Advisory Committee. Advertisement Commissioner Dave Gilmour initially said "yes," but by the end of the meeting acknowledged that these committees would, in fact, continue to exist. Reeve Hennion, county Planning Commission chairman, helped straighten out both the commissioners and the public. "There is a lot of misunderstanding," said Hennion, who referred to the language in the county’s notice posted on its Web site as unfortunate. He said committees such as those in the upper Rogue, Sams Valley and the Applegate would continue to exist. The only difference would be the creation of a new committee made up of citizens from throughout the county that would act as a liaison between the public and the planning process. The Planning Commission currently performs the function of this liaison committee, but Hennion said it hasn’t worked well. Doug McGeary, who replaces Mike Jewett as county counsel, said the new citizen committee would help residents figure out what steps they need to take in planning matters. "They’re going to be like the road cop," he said. Commissioner Jack Walker worried the new committee would slow down the planning process. "I don’t want to build another layer of bureaucracy," he said. Hennion responded that the new committee wouldn’t advocate any position on land-use issues, but would give guidance to citizens having a difficult time wading through the bureaucracy. He said the committee might actually speed up planning decisions because citizens would gain a better understanding of the steps they need to take to voice their concerns. Scott criticized the notification process the county used to alert the public about the hearing, saying he just received notice a few days ago. "The Web site’s information out there is an absolute waste," he said. He said many rural residents like himself don’t have computers or access to high-speed Internet. Scott said he appreciated getting a clearer explanation of the citizen involvement proposal. "I learned a little today," he said. Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476, or e-mail Citizens demand advisory power ">[email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2006 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker Custom Build Computers Computer Security Discount Hotel Reservations online casinos news Send Flowers California Casinos GMAT Prep Windermere Van Vleet Deep Muscle Stimulator Sports Equipment Online Casino Reviews Hammocks Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Online Casino Fundraisers Sudoku Online Casinos Canada Email Security Advertisement s Advertisement