Marion County calls it a hearing, but nobody seems to be listening, especially not when a housing development is on the table. Because that’s all we seem to be doing, tolerating an endless parade of rezoning requests, PUD approvals, and new subdivisions that barrel through faster than the dump trucks they’ll soon bring with them.
Why do we even have county planning staff, growth management teams, or public input meetings if the final vote is already written in concrete? Commissioners nod solemnly at our concerns: traffic, water, infrastructure, you name it. Only to vote yes anyway. Their favorite excuse? “We don’t want to get sued by developers.”
If that’s the real reason, then let’s stop pretending we have a choice. Don’t waste our time with maps, hearings, and public comment cards if the outcome’s already baked into the cake. Just hang a “Now Leasing” banner over the County Commission chambers and call it what it is.
