Ok, I went to the meeting last week. Of course, I was the only mere citizen, and there is a really good reasons why.
UGH! As an organizer and activist I often know when something is important, and at the same time, I understand why people’s eyes cross and minds wander and get bored and leave. It’s even harder when you don’t have all the handouts that the committee members are looking at (unless you are an insider). When the meeting time was changed to an hour later with less than 48 hours notice and no real warning. When the staff are driving a process that the elected officials and committee members are trying to catch up with and understand. And when the subject matter is so complex and dense that only the experts working on this regularly can keep up with it. When the committee is struggling to figure out what they are doing. This was my experience with attending this meeting BUT . . . don’t give up yet!!
This is largely gobbly-gook to most beings who comprehend English even at a college level and they are really struggling to figure out what they are doing, but here is the (very bad, need to work on it – plus I was late and left early) audio from the meeting.
HOWEVER, like I said, this is important, I swear it is. Hang in there with me!!! (even tho I want to poke my eyes out right now as I’m listening to the committee try to figure out what they are doing.)
Some links that might help:
What is Wisconsin Comprehensive Planning all about?
Where can I find the County Comprehensive plan?
Here’s the info the are currently looking at. (46 page summary of items they want to keep, are done and need to be modified.
Other Dane County Plans (I assume these are incorporated into the Dane County Comprehensive Plan)
What is the county doing now? and why?
In the plan they decided to review the Comprehensive Plans every 5 years so the Steering Committee is getting ready to go through the plan, item by item and reviewing them to decide if they should keep them in the plan or not.
Why do I care?
Well, the county comprehensive plan is the plan that all development projects are supposed to be in compliance with. The recommendations they are reviewing are supposed to be a blueprint for how the county works on various issues that are broken down into the following categories.
– Issues and Opportunities
– Housing
– Transportation
– Utilities and Community Facilities
– Agricultural, Natural, and Cultural Resources
– Economic Development
– Intergovernmental Cooperation
– Land Use
– Implementation
Theoretically, this helps drive the issues the staff work on and the work the committees do. If you care about something like housing, it might be the only conversation they have about what we want for our community for another 5 years. It can be an opportunity to drive the thinking of the powers that be. To get new ideas into the conversation. To raise new issues or ways of doing things.
How do I effectively get involved?
Yeah, the million dollar question.
1. Review the 46 page summary of what has been done. See if you have any strong opinions or thing something should be added or changed.
2. Watch the weekly agendas or the week ahead post I do every week for when various committees might be discussing this and go to the meetings and give them your input.
3. If you can’t make the meetings, contact the committee members.
4. Attend the public hearings when they get their recommendations done to let them know what you would change or add.
The Housing Element has been brought to the Homeless Issues Committee and the Human Services Board meetings and the committees are spending time catching up on what comprehensive planning is, why we do it and how to tackle this project. Jenny Dye pointed out that none of the housing element has been done in the last 5 years. Others are looking for more concrete items to have in the plan that they can measure their success.
