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Resident criticizes council approval of Wolfson property school plan, urges stricter residency verification for public commenters
Summary
During public comment on Sept. 11 resident Scott Harvey criticized the July 24 council vote approving a plan for 100 Hill Schools on the Wolfson property, cited a 2-2 planning commission tie and community comment tallies, and urged the council to weigh commenters' local residency when considering controversial projects.
During the public-comment period of the Sept. 11 meeting, resident Scott Harvey criticized the Buellton City Council's July 24 decision to approve a plan for "100 Hill Schools" on the Wolfson property, saying the vote disregarded community opposition.
"I was very disappointed in the city council's meeting of 7 24 vote in favor of the 100 Hill Schools on the Wolfson property," Harvey said. He told the council he observed numerous public commenters opposed to the project and said the planning commission vote had resulted in a 2‑2 tie, which he said reflected community division.
Harvey provided the council a tally he said showed 37 speakers opposed and 18 supporters, and he suggested only about three supporters were local residents. He expressed concern that the council appeared less responsive to the broader community and urged the council to place greater weight on whether public commenters are local constituents when evaluating controversial matters, proposing a vetting step with a trusted city official.
Harvey told the council he would leave his written comments with staff and planned to speak again at a future meeting. Mayor David Silva and staff acknowledged Harvey's remarks; no action was taken during the Sept. 11 meeting on the Wolfson property subject.
The council proceeded to the consent calendar and other business following public comment.
