After Protest, Highland to Hold Three More Road Meetings

Daily Herald: Our Towns Moderator
February 28, 2009 at 2:00AM EST

HIGHLAND -- After a flood of complaints about a proposed road bond, Highland is redoing a public hearing and has scheduled two more, hoping to encourage public input. On Feb. 17, about 100 residents filled City Council chambers here to voice their opposition to a proposed road bond. When one resident opened public comment by declaring the meeting illegal because the city had not met public notice requirements, city officials didn't disagree. Instead they said they would hold the meeting again.

Now council members are making good on that promise, and announcing two more road meetings besides.

Council members and planning commissioners will hold public meetings or hearings on March 11 at 7 p.m., March 17 at 7 p.m. -- at which time the city may make its final vote on the controversial road bonds -- and a third time on March 24 at 7 p.m.

It might be overkill. Or perhaps the city is trying to send a clear message to residents who accused them in recent public meetings of trying to leave the public out. In scheduling the meetings, city staff have said they want to make it absolutely clear that public input is desired.
Meanwhile, the city has asked a committee of residents to begin putting together a list of road priorities for the city. Earlier this week, that committee spent 45 minutes deciding that the city's No. 1 transportation priority should be public safety.

In considering where to spend money on roads, the committee said the city's second priority should be traffic volume, followed by "public acceptance," cost and, finally, congestion and travel delay.

"What we need to do is somehow set a priority for roads," said city staffer Matt Shipp to the committee. "There are only so many dollars to spend, obviously."

He encouraged committee members to be objective instead of subjective, but city manager Barry Edwards later argued that trying to measure and compare the public safety and public acceptance of one project over another could only be subjective.

The committee's suggested priorities could change after the public gets a chance to weigh in on them, committee members said.

"My proposal is that we be flexible and do a sanity test at the end" of determining priority projects, said committee member Kevin Pace.

Highland public meetings on road issues. All meetings will be held at City Hall, 400 W. Civic Center Drive.

• City Council Public Meeting/Work Session -- Wednesday, March 11 at 7 p.m.
• City Council Road Bond Hearing --¬ Tuesday, March 17 at 7 p.m.
• Planning Commission Public Hearing -- Tuesday, March 24 at 7 p.m.