Highland residents appeal residential rehab decision

(Daily Herald) A group of Highland residents has filed a 17-page appeal regarding a residential drug rehab center, saying the city failed in its duty to residents when it approved the facility.

In recent meetings, Highland residents have said they were duped when elected officials approved a residential drug rehabilitation center in September without once announcing on posted agendas what the facility was, or where it would be located. City officials told the Daily Herald that they did not dare do more to disclose the information, lest they be sued.

The appeal was filed by a new organization of about a dozen families that live near the proposed facility, called Highlanders Organized for Planning Equality, or HOPE. The city announced late Wednesday that the Appeal Authority will meet at 5 p.m. on Nov. 12 in the Highland City Council Chambers. The public is invited.

"No one from the neighborhood was informed about the request" for the proposed treatment facility, said the group in appeal paperwork. Because the city failed to list the address of the facility on two council agendas, it was impossible for those living nearby to know what was going on, the group said.

In an interview, Shad Brunson, president of HOPE, said the appeal was necessary because of elected officials' "lack of due diligence, and asking pertinent questions, and really digging in and doing their homework."

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