Public involvement is a major part of the planning process.
One method of public involvement is using focus groups. SPEC decided to use focus groups of 12-15 citizens to gather information from people interested in and knowledgeable about county government. Several focus group meetings were held in October 1999, which gave participants an opportunity to express their views about challenges Lane County faces and their ideas about how county government can best address the challenges. Their observations provided valuable information for county leaders to use in formulating a plan for the future. The focus groups met Oct. 18-20, 1999.