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A June 23, 2015, town-hall exchange between District 2 Commissioner Debra Davis and Charles County citizen Debra Krahling illustrates the massive disconnect between how county residents and taxpayers want the county to grow and what some policy leaders are pushing.

Several years back, the public was invited to attend “visioning charrettes” in connection with updating the county’s comprehensive plan. A comprehensive plan establishes future growth-management policies. Charrette participants were given three different scenarios to consider. Scenario 1 – which focused on retaining the county’s rural character, investing in an urban core, and curbing fiscally draining sprawl residential development – was the favorite.

Scenario 1 eventually got buried in the process and there are many citizens like Krahling who want to know why the county asked for their input and then ignored them.

Charles County’s comprehensive plan is still in limbo.

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