Minutes - 19781030 - Laserfiche WebLink

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758 Mrs. Anderson said members of the advisory. councils were lay persons. Their function is to give input for the land in question. Without schedule data they cannot see where they want open space, residential, industrial, etc. Commissioner Walker said the advisory councils were organized so people would be in favor of land use planning. Participation in these councils is how the residents are involved in land use planning. Dr. Bonar said he felt gut reactions of the residents were important but the advisory councils needed to know forecasts for development in order to make decisions. He said the Planning Board realized staff time was expensive and he felt there needed to be a balance between what councils needed for maximum efficiency and the limitation of resources available. Dr. Ervin said the Planning Board needed to have a better mechanism to find out what people who do not attend the meetings think. He felt advisory councils were not , necessarily representative of the entire area. Mrs. Josephine Barbour said she thought staff time could be consolidated and all advisory councils could be invited when an important speaker visited a council. She said the advisory councils were nine months late in getting set up. She said - .. she felt it was very hard to make changes in the zoning ordinance and she had seen many recommendations turned down because they did not appeal to a few people. She said the Eno Council had asked land use plan information be sent to the people of Eno township to invite them to a public meeting for educational purposes and so all people of Eno township would have input in land use planning. Mr. Ben Lloyd said he felt a basic problem was a few people in control of planning not knowing all the needs of Orange County. He said a land use plan would not work without the consent of the people. Mr. Tony 5eber, an advisory council member, said the councils waited nine months to be set up, then tried to revise some things already in the picture and felt like nothing came out of it. He said members of the council were frustrated. _ He felt the need for an educational meeting to show the public what the picture is. for the next ten years. He said the advisory councils would like to know why their requests are turned down. Mr. Efland said he felt the advisory groups were in a state of transition. He felt the need for open meetings and an open forum.. He said the Cheeks Council members were not attending their meetings and, if the members were involved in land use planning, they might feel a sense of purpose. He suggested the planning staff come up with a work schedule or proposed agenda for a certain period of time then we could reassess where we stand and make adjustments from there.• Commissioner Walker said he felt advisory councils were imperative because they are elected by a democratic process on a grass roots level and are representative of the people in the various townships. Mr. Efland said the Cheeks Council had only four members out of 21 attending since the subdivision regulations were completed in the spring. Mr. Greer said his council thought their purpose had been resolved upon completion of subdivision regulations. He said if advisory councils did nat participate, the Planning Board would have to perform their function. He felt the Commissioners should let the advisory councils know their function is not aver. Commissioner Walker felt the advisory council members should have been invited to this meeting. .Commissioner Willhoit said the Planning Board could not delegate responsibility to township advisory councils. He felt the advisory councils a mechanism to provide input-in land use planning. He felt staff members should set up an agenda whereby all councils could proceed in a focused direction. Mrs. Barbour suggested articles be printed in the paper explaining land use planning.- She also suggested the public be invited to educational meetings with all advisory councils present. She felt goals could be set at these meetings to be taken back to the individual councils. Dr. Bonar said they had been trying to move toward joint council meetings for educational purposes. He said members of the councils were taking their own minutes and he questioned whether a member of the planning staff always needed tv be present.