Op-Ed by Bryce Randall in District 2 on the General Plan

Is our little piece of this earth
not under our control any more?

     I would like to encourage everyone to get involved with the General Plan effort and invite their neighbors to get involved.

     Too many times we sit back and let a minority of people determine policies that have real effects on our daily lives.

    The Planning Department is currently defining land use designations based on input from the public.  This is our opportunity to let our wishes and concerns be known regarding our property rights.

     Once the land use designations have gone through the approval process and are passed by the Board of Supervisors, the Planning Department will then work on Zoning.

    Changes in Zoning can cost landowners around $10,000 and take around a year to complete. Amendments to the General Plan for land use issues can be even more costly in both time and money.

     In my opinion, it is the responsibility of the Board of Supervisors to ensure that individual property rights are protected throughout this process.

     Every landowner should be contacted through direct mail, using the address that they are assessed property taxes, and they should be encouraged to get involved, to be aware of the process that is going on regarding the General Plan.

     If we can collect thousands of dollars in property taxes from each landowner we should have the will and ability to spend a few of those dollars to help protect the property rights for which they are being assessed.

   A small notice in a local paper is insufficient effort for what is at stake.

                                 Bryce Randall