PRESS RELEASE

HAMILTON COUNTY –On Saturday, January 12 at the Music Hall Ballroom, 1,000 residents from Hamilton County will meet to prioritize goals and plan strategies that will impact the county’s future.  The Planning Partnership of the Hamilton County Regional Planning Commission will host this innovative public involvement event from 8:30 a.m. until 4 p.m.  Anyone who lives in Hamilton County, from teens to seniors, or who works in the county are encouraged to attend.

The Countywide Town Meeting is the centerpiece of the public involvement efforts of Community COMPASS.  Community COMPASS, a Comprehensive Master Plan and Strategy for Hamilton County, is developing the first comprehensive plan for Hamilton County since 1964, nearly 40 years ago.  The plan will outline a vision for Hamilton County and will create strategies for implementing that vision.

The use of cutting-edge technology will make this one-of-a-kind event an exciting and unusual form of citizen participation.  Small discussion groups will have access to wireless technology, which allows diverse citizens from all parts of Hamilton County to "vote" electronically on issues through the use of wireless computers and polling keypads placed at each table.  The results of the voting will be available almost instantaneously on large screens in the Ballroom.  Everyone's opinion is taken into account as the county develops a broad consensus on the vision and values for Hamilton County.

The focus of the daylong discussion is four interconnected core issues related to Hamilton County's vision.  They are:

• Assuring Economic Prosperity

• Building Collaborative Decision-Making

• Embracing Diversity and Equity, and

• Balancing Development and Environment

 The recommendations and proposed outcomes generated at the Countywide Town Meeting will be passed on to COMPASS Action Teams formed at the end of the day, which will be charged with making Hamilton County resident’s ideas a reality.

If you give nothing, you get nothing.  Let’s take a seat at the table by signing up for the Countywide Town Meeting on January 12.  Continental breakfast and lunch will be provided.  You can register for the event by calling the Community COMPASS hotline at 513-946-4505 or by visiting our website at www.communitycompass.org.  Let’s pack the place and be heard!