County residents urge Spring Hill to preserve county representation as code changes are considered

During public comment at the planning commission meeting, multiple county residents told commissioners they were concerned the proposed code language could leave unincorporated neighbors without representation.

Tara Combs, who lives at 15320 W. 193rd Terrace, asked whether proposed changes meant the two county seats could be filled by city residents and said that possibility "is kind of a concern" because decisions affect unincorporated residents within the city's three-mile growth area. Another caller, John Waterman, suggested language that would give precedence to qualified county candidates for those seats if county residents are available.

Commissioners responded that staff would record the comments and that the commission would forward suggested edits to the governing body for consideration before final Chapter 1 language is adopted. The commission also discussed the history and rationale for county seats and the practical difficulty of finding county members historically.