PUBLIC COMMENTS POLICY AND PROCEDURES  AT MPO MEETINGS

Public involvement is important in the transportation planning process to gain citizen insights and ideas about transportation needs, issues, and improvement proposals.  The Dalton-Whitfield County Metropolitan Planning Organization utilizes several approaches to solicit public input and comment.  One approach is to facilitate direct citizen address at meetings of the MPO Committees.  Citizens and citizen groups are welcome to attend all MPO Committee meetings, and the official policy and procedure (effective January 9, 2006) for citizen addresses before an MPO Committee is detailed below.

In order to properly hear from citizens and respond to their comments, the procedures for direct citizen comment before an MPO Committee is as follows:

a.  All meetings of standing and ad hoc committees of the MPO are open to the public and up to 15 minutes (cap) are designated for the public to address questions or comments on any item on the agenda for that meeting.  Each individual may speak up to 3 minutes and in the order of sign in under e.below up to the time cap.

b. Subsequent to a citizen address in item a. above, the matter can be added to the agenda of the Committee meeting for discussion/action by a majority vote of the members present and/or the matter can be referred to other resources (ie., staff, consultant, GDOT, TCC) for study, analysis, recommendations, etc.

c. A citizen or the representative of a citizen group desiring to formally address an MPO Committee on any matter shall make a request to the Transportation Planning Coordinator ten days prior to the meeting.  The Transportation Planning Coordinator shall arrange for the matter to be placed on the agenda of                          the next regular meeting of the committee for a decision by a majority vote of committee members present as to whether or not to grant the request.

d. A citizen or citizen group appearing at an MPO Committee without prior arrangement and desiring to address the committee on any matter shall be allowed to address the committee if approved by a majority vote of the      members present and then is confined to the balance of time available under a. above.

e. All citizens and representatives of citizen groups directly addressing an MPO Committee shall sign in with their full name and provide contact information which minimally shall include mailing address and a telephone number to enable follow up contact for reporting actions, recommendations, or referrals made by the committee.

f. A record of citizen addresses shall be made in the minutes or notes of the committee meeting and may by reference include meeting recordings taken of the committee meeting and maps, written submissions, photographs, video, etc. provided by citizens at the committee meeting.

g. Whenever a matter addressed by a citizen or citizens group under b., c., or d. above does not result in an action, recommendation, or referral in the presence of the citizen or citizen group, a report of the follow up action shall be provided in writing to the citizen or representative of the citizen group at the mailing address provided in e. above.

PUBLIC NOTICES (Official Notices and/or Advertisements)

Please be advised that a proposed change in the scheduling of the Carbondale/I-75 Interchange (PI 610890) construction phase will seek approval via a major amendment by the Policy Committee of the Dalton-Whitfield County Metropolitan Planning Organization at the May 12, 2008 meeting.  The construction phase of this project would shift from the FY 2008-2011 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) to long-range status due to the inclusion of the Rocky Face/I-75 Interchange project (0000931) construction phase into the TIP. Click here to see the revised project information sheet.  For further details, contact Matt Tucker, Transportation Planning Coordinator, at (706) 272-2300.