Let's let people have a chance

It's our impression that a lot of people showed up at the joint meeting of the Douglas County Board of Commissioners and the Douglas County Planning Commission expecting something to happen.

The meeting, while it generated a lot of heat, produced very little in the way of light to reveal where Douglas County is going from here.

For the people who spent three and a half hours crammed into the CVIC Hall, it must have been disappointing for some to hear the result of their efforts, having planning staff bring back recommendations in March for further consideration.

This is how government operates in Douglas County and it's important to remind those who participate in the process every day that the governed often are unaware that action has to be noticed and agendized before commissioners may act.

We've had long talks with people who believe that the county is engaged in a delaying tactic, that commissioners aren't listening to them and that it is all for the benefit of a few private developers.

That's something both county officials and the lobbying organizations involved in the debate need to keep in mind when they invite the public to speak. They need to bend over backwards to provide the opportunity for folks to get a word in edgewise.

All sides in the debate over growth need to remember that a majority of the people living in Douglas County can't put their lives on hold to participate in this process. Those are the people the county most needs to hear from.