‘One Douglas’ Plan Revealed
The term ‘One Douglas’ may sound familiar to some Douglas County residents. Recently it was mentioned in the January issue of Chapel Hill News & Views under the Chairman’s Corner section, briefly outlining the future prospects of what the County intends to achieve in 2007. Mentioned in the article was creating a new SPLOST by September, better communication with all communities, rework the jail situation and unify Douglas County.
In a recent open records request issued by Losing Georgia, one of the documents that was attained included the Douglas County Board of Commissioner’s Goals for 2007, a.k.a. the ‘One Douglas’ plan. The document, a 52 page PowerPoint presentation, contains an in-depth look at what the Board of Commissioner’s expect to complete this year, taking on the looks of an action plan to solve problems with an open mind.
At the core of the plan are five distinct values or themes that continually repeat, sounding off marching orders to awe the public: PR Campaigns, reestablish SPLOST, Accountability, Communication, Public Goods.
The first agenda to appear is a directive to redevelop a new SPLOST program for the September ballot. This new version of SPLOST will by headed by two business leaders in order to fund promotions and become the spokesmen for the Board of Commissioners. The business leaders have the opportunity to hire a consulting firm for the promotion aspect to help SPLOST become approved at the poles.
Voting patterns from the past two SPLOST results will go under analysis for determining where campaign efforts should concentrate. Local businesses will also be solicited, further making an attempt to gain more support. On the community side, a Citizens Committee will be established to assist in defining what projects would be listed on the ballot.
Unlike in past years, information about SPLOST will be mailed out to all voters for the first time in order to ‘generate support’. Usually brochures [2002 & 2006] have been available free to the public at the Courthouse, outlining projects in little detail and leaving out how projects will receive funds in order. However it is proposed that a more detailed program be given to the public, eliminating any sign of doubt.
As for the ‘One Douglas’ theme, there is a motive to improve the quality of both commercial and residential development, produce stricter development standards at key high-traffic intersections, and improve ordinance regulations. Better communication with all the city councils will be conducted through quarterly meetings, held in different locations, to further understand needs on a county-wide level.
Another first will be to hold district Town Hall meetings quarterly with each Commissioner able to hear what concerns residents have on a more personal stage. As reported earlier by Losing Georgia, Douglas County has not had a traditional style Town Hall meeting in over ten years.
The debate over the location and need of a new county jail will commence again, while attempts will be made to better inform the public about the jail in coordination with the Sheriff’s office. The Parks and Recreation Department, Department of Transportation, and Animal Control all plan to have their own PR campaigns to go along with ‘One Douglas’.
Population and development increases will be examined to understand the significance on public goods and how costs will reflect how services are provided. Impact fees look to be implemented this year to help fund public goods. Some of the new services for 2007 include a new dog park, the beginning of a new E-911 center, Fire administration and training center, vehicle maintenance shop and more improvements to county parks.
Although the ‘One Douglas’ plan sounds promising, it is at least a proactive step to gaining the trust of the community that has been in a void for many years. Deep within the plan is the logistics of a PR campaign that warrants local residents to interact with the local county government. To view the document in its entirety, Losing Georgia has provided a PDF version of the slide show below.
Downloads
- Douglas County Board of Commissioner’s Goals for 2007 - PDF (2.04 MB)
