It was standing room only at the Chancery Courthouse Tuesday in Starkville as residents turned out for a public hearing on the fate of Oktibbeha County Hospital Regional Medical Center.
The overflow crowd listened as Stroudwater & Associates, a consulting firm hired by the county’s board of supervisors, reviewed the findings of its study while hospital CEO Richard Hilton made the case for maintaining the hospital as a county-owned facility.
The debate over the future of the hospital has been raging for several years now as supervisors consider the merits of selling the hospital.
While there is support in the community for both keeping and selling the hospital, the common denominator is that the community recognizes the importance of the hospital to the community.
Although there is some legitimate concern on how this issue has been handled — those in favor of retaining the hospital say the process has been choreographed to favor its sale — there can be no question about the value of Tuesday’s public hearing.
We urge supervisors to continue holding these meetings as the discussions proceed.
We recognize that when we elect people to office, we trust them to act in our interests. Certainly, not all matters that come before these bodies require public hearings.
Many do, however. When big issues emerge, citizens have a right to have their voices heard.
It goes beyond that, though. Public hearings are not just an opportunity for citizens to state their opinions, but to better inform themselves on the issues by asking questions, listening to responses and considering the point of view of those who hold different views. It is also a venue where myths and rumors can be exposed and misconceptions can be clarified.
We have also seen on numerous occasions where the discussions are elevated by the ideas the come from citizens, ideas that may not have emerged without that kind of input.
At times, public hearings can be emotional, messy, even unruly.
But the benefits almost always outweigh the costs and all parties emerge with a better understanding of the issue at hand.
Public hearings on controversial issues rarely end with a consensus, we acknowledge.
Even so, healthy, vigorous pubic debate are a fundamental part of our system of government.
We see no reason why these opportunities should be denied or discouraged.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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