Leon County Commissioners are taking a closer look at the highly debated Florida Hometown Democracy Amendment.

It's showing up as Amendment 4 on next year's ballot, but commissioners want to see if they need a strategy on how to deal with the issue now.

Amendment 4 would require that changes to local governments' comprehensive plans be approved by voters.

It's a heated topic statewide, but rather than picking sides, Leon County Commissioners concentrated on what their options are, the consequences of the amendment, and how much money--which officials say is signficant--it would cost.

Leon County's landscape has changed over the years and the guidelines that govern those changes could be changing if Amendment 4, known as the Florida Hometown Democracy, passes.

The amendment would let voters decide on growth in their communities.

Leon County resident John Hedrick said, "The way they've been doing business, not only just here, but around the state, dealing with growth matter just doesn't cut it. You can't be amending your comprehensive plans every time you turn around to satisfy a developer against the wishes of the citizenry as a whole."

If the November 2010 ballot issue passes, residents have to vote before a local government can adopt or amend a comprehensive land use plan.

In a Leon County Commission workshop Tuesday, commissioners said the term "Comprehensive land use plan" was too vague, saying it could be taken from one extreme to another.

Officials say the indefinite term could lead to lawsuits.

Other consequences of Amendment 4 explored by commissioners include: low turn-outs to referendums, hundreds of thousands of dollars to get facts out to the public and increased costs to government.

County officials say it would cost about $10,000 just for advertising the election.

A stand-alone election for Tallahassee alone is expected to cost $342,000 and $528,000 for a stand-alone Leon countywide.

Wayne Tedder, the director of Tallahassee-Leon County Planning Department, said, "If you have to vote on certain amendments--it could be taking a single-family home and turn it into a small office, could be a very extensive cost for someone to do that. It cold be the right thing to do for the community at the time. So, there would be a great cost associated with amendments if Amendment 4 does pass from our perspective"

Commissioners tried to define "comprehensive land use plan" and how to make it work for the community.

Ultimately, the commission voted to take no action until the Florida Hometown Democracy is passed.

Some say people oppose the amendment because they say it would further hinder economic recovery.

Others say it's good because it gives voters ultimate control over growth in their communities.

The issue will be on the ballot November 2010.