Chapter 14.1 How a Community Handles Issues

Making Pubic Policy Organizations have policies, or set rules that guide decisions and actions. Public policy is a general agreement among gov’t leaders about how to deal with issues and problems that affect the entire community.

continued Ideas for public policy can come from many sources. Citizens are an important source, especially at the local level. A single person can have great impact, as Candy Lightner, founder of MADD, illustrates. Changing public policy may take months or years. Gov’ts do research, hold hearings and argue over what policy should be. The result may be a compromise.

Planning for the Future Public policies try to foresee and prevent problems. Local planning commissions make land-use plans for many communities. A short-term plan is a policy to be carried out over the next few years. A long-term plan is a broader, less detailed plan that serves as a guide for 10, 20, or even 50 years.

continued Long-term plans require educated guesses. A city may plan street reconstruction to carry increased traffic from anticipated new subdivisions. Planning requires answering difficult questions. How might a growing population strain the town’s infrastructure – its system of roads, bridges, water and sewers? Should the town build new roads or promote public transportation? How will the town pay for the work?

continued Priorities are the goals a community considers most important. To set priorities, the community must first determine what it values most. Then it must determine specific goals and rank them in order of importance. Next a community must determine its resources – the money, people and materials available to accomplish the community’s goals.

continued Based on priorities and resources, a planning commission makes a master plan. This plan states the goals and explains how the gov’t will carry them out to meet changing needs over time.

continued If the gov’t decides to accept the commission’s plan, the plan becomes public policy, and the gov’t is then responsible for carrying it out. The city or town council must approve funds for the projects in the plan. The mayor’s or manager’s team writes rules and regulations to enforce the plan.