At one point in the meeting, commissioner Jan Warren put her foot down to basically say to staff, “Is this really the best you can offer?” Staff continues to work in some kind of public vacuum. Work such as this should be brought up for discussion months before a decision is necessary. The constant tactic of throwing plans on the table days before they must be acted upon can be viewed as passive-aggresive behavior designed to allow as little time for critical analysis as possible.

At this point we’re really not talking about creating a bicycle/pedestrian friendly community. We’re doing nothing short of expecting a cultural shift in the way the City interacts with its citizens. So, again, this responsibility cannot fall solely on the shoulders of staff. Such cultural change must come from the top. This means the Mayor and City Commission must step up their game, to make sure the City Manager prioritizes these issues with the staff. Focused attention needs to be applied to making sure all staff clearly understand the meaning and implications of the Master Plan. We might consider mandated that everyone walking into City offices actually read it. I’m serious here.

My preference would’ve been to simply deny all ten plans, and leave the City trying to explain to its constituency why no road improvements are being done. I understand this isn’t the most practical of solutions, and I support the planning commission’s decision on Tuesday. But as one commissioner said: “When can we expect all new projects in the City to conform to our Master Plan? This, by the way, is a state law! If not now, when?