91ÊÓƵ

Voters in Damascus Tuesday night voted against the city’s proposed comprehensive plan in resounding fashion.

Voters struck down Measure 3-375 with 65 percent of citizens voting against it. The measure was a referendum that asked voters whether they supported the city council’s decision to pass the comprehensive plan, which came in December.

The state-mandated comprehensive plan laid out $3 billion in future projects for the city of 10,000 people. When it was approved, a small group of citizens, calling themselves Ask Damascus, started collecting signatures for the referendum. The group wanted to give citizens a chance to vote on the plan, which the group felt was hurriedly put together.

The vote on the referendum doesn’t necessarily mean the city will have to start anew the process of developing a comprehensive plan. The council could choose to use as much of the comprehensive plan as it sees fit, but whatever the council decides to do, its decision will have to be made in a public meeting with public testimony.