Next Tuesday, August 26, the Sweet Home City Council will hold a meeting in the City Hall Annex to take a look at the proposed changes to the Comprehensive Plan.
Law-makers and politicians call these meetings “public hearings.” A hearing is a meeting where members of the public can make arguments for or against whatever issue is on the table that particular evening. As you might imagine, public hearings in Sweet Home do not draw huge crowds.
A typical Planning Commission or City Council hearing consists of about seven commissioners or councilors and a couple of staff members. And more often than not, when the chairperson asks for public testimony, they are answered with nothing but the sound of chirping crickets.
So maybe people do not want to spend a perfectly good evening at City Hall listening to a bunch of public officials argue about whether Joe can build a four foot fence or a five foot fence. But, public officials often make important decisions at those hearings. City Link believes public hearings could be a lot more fun if more members of the public showed up to be heard. How could the City of Sweet Home make hearings less mysterious and more user-friendly? Vacation giveaways? Special effects? Cookies? City Link would love to hear your ideas.
If you would like to find out for yourself what to expect at a hearing, the City has the perfect opportunity next week. You can attend a free public hearing on August 26th at 7:45 p.m. in the annex behind City Hall. The topic: proposed updates to the Comprehensive Plan and proposed rezoning. So bring your kids and your snacks. Most importantly, bring your ideas and testimony and get ready to do some hearing of your own.
As always, if you have any questions or ideas, please call City Link at 367-8113 or stop by City Hall.