Chapel Hill residents chose an unconventional path when they decided to take the town’s development into their own hands rather than delegating it to paid professionals.
The outcome of this decision, a plan called Chapel Hill 2020, is a novel and noble attempt to involve residents directly in the town’s affairs.
But not even direct democracies are immune to inefficiency, and Chapel Hill 2020 is unfortunately no exception. The recent petition calling for a delay of the plan’s release, from June 2012 to Feb. 2013, is emblematic of these difficulties.
Moving the deadline back won’t guarantee more fruitful discussion. But the extra time could very well be filled with unproductive bickering, which could in turn sap participants’ enthusiasm.
Community involvement is valuable because it gives residents a sense of ownership in their town’s development. And they also know the town best.
Still, it’s hard to expect a group of citizens to do the job as well as professionals, let alone as efficiently. But if they have a deadline, the plan’s contributors will be forced to make compromises, reconcile differences and produce results.
Extending the deadline to February would likely mean another eight months spent rehashing stale ideas and revisiting old disagreements. But the June deadline provides a necessary incentive to produce results now.
The June version of the plan should be complete, but it certainly doesn’t have to be perfect. There will still be plenty of time to iron out the details before the comprehensive plan is implemented.
Chapel Hill 2020 is supposed to provide a comprehensive plan for the town for the next 10 years. But before this can happen, the plan has to be finished — preferably before the next decade rolls around.
