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There have been numerous articles in the newspapers to inform citizens of this county about the Shaping Orange County's Future Task Force. Nonetheless I have recently met individuals who had never heard of the Task Force. Let me begin by saying that this task force of 28 citizens and the others serving on six committees are charged with creating a vision for the future of this county. Our findings and recommendations will be reviewed by the four elected boards in this county and incorporated into their short-term and long-term plans and policies. Other citizens are encouraged to join in the task force's citizen-based process. Although I would like to appeal to each one of you to participate in one of our subcommittees, I wish to raise some questions about issues that have and do cause dissension within our community. I have often heard about the differences between the northern and southern parts of the county and between those who advocate growth and those who approach growth cautiously. I cannot help but bring in my experience as a social scientist. There are many theories about human behavior. The goal of a scientist is to test these theories and/or make discoveries that lead to new theories. My co-workers would certainly agree that my famous last words are ``check out your assumptions.'' This advice, I find, also bears fruit in our daily life. We often make assumptions about others and are sometimes surprised to find that those assumptions were erroneous. How does this relate to the work of the task force? First, I would ask that we leave behind assumptions for which we lack solid information to support a particular belief(s). Second, I suggest that we thoroughly examine the information which is being gathered by the task force members and others serving on one of the citizen committees. This will allow us to create a vision for our future that attempts to anticipate possible consequence of our decisions. There is no doubt that in the final analysis, many of the decisions about the goals for the future will represent citizen values. Nonetheless, informed decisions will prevent us from making decisions we might later regret. One example of how we can begin to apply this ``scientific'' principle to some issues relates to the question of land use and growth. There are individuals who believe that growth is inherently good for the community. There are others who question this assumption. The mission for land use and growth committee involves examining this assumption. What can we learn from studies by researchers, statistics gathered by task forces in our communities, etc., about growth? What, specifically, is good for the community about growth? Are there aspects of a community that are negatively impacted by growth? Do the effects of growth vary with the rate of growth? Perhaps growth has both positive and negative consequences. If so, which is more important to our community? Do some type of growth patterns have a more positive impact on a community, or for that matter, less negative consequences? One aspect of growth that I am researching, along with several other subcommittee members, is economic in nature. What is the relationship between population growth and taxes? Information from several other states indicates that taxes are higher in municipalities of greater population size and that the difference in the tax bill is greatest when comparing counties with a population size between 100,000 and 200,000 to counties with a population greater than 200,000. Some studies of the impact of land use on infrastructure costs show that these costs can be dramatically reduced when planning contiguous development rather than leapfrog development. We are faced with the need not only to integrate the findings of others but also understanding how these may apply to our county. These are complicated questions but responsible citizens will do their best to obtain as much information as possible to understand these issues. During our committee meetings -- I am a member of the land use and growth committee as well as the environment and natural resources committee -- we are continuously provided with previously compiled information from official statistics and various other reports. I am encouraged by the endless questions that subcommittee members ask. With this kind of questioning and concern for the implications of the information for our future, I hope that we can all maintain open minds and avoid prejudgments before making the final recommendations for the vision of our future. Bernadette Pelissier lives in Chapel Hill. For more information about Shaping Orange Author: BERNADETTE PELISSIER Guest columnist Copyright, 1997, The Durham Herald Company |
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