10 Funniest Public Comments I've Heard

Public meetings are where democracy happens… and occasionally, where logic takes a coffee break. For every heartfelt comment and thoughtful concern, there’s a moment that makes planners look up from their notes and wonder, "Did they really just say that?"

1. “If you let them build this duplex, the raccoons are going to come back. And we just got rid of them.”
— delivered with total seriousness, followed by a story about raccoons hiding in the stormwater pipe.

2. “This development will increase crime because I saw it happen in a video once.”
— a single YouTube video became the basis for a full anti-housing argument.

3. “We don’t need more sidewalks. That’s what driveways are for.”
— the speaker was serious. Very serious.

4. “What if someone builds a house, and then puts another house on top of it?”
— during a discussion of ADUs. We’re still not sure what they meant.

5. “I don’t want apartments here. I heard people in apartments don’t recycle.”
— the planner blinked five times before continuing.

6. “If we add bike lanes, where will the deer go?”
— a real question posed at a rural complete streets workshop.

7. “I’m not against change, I just don’t want anything to change.”
— said without irony. We respect the philosophical commitment.

8. “This plan is a slippery slope to communism.”
— about a small zoning amendment to allow food trucks.

9. “Can we make it so the zoning only applies to people I like?”
— points for honesty, at least.

10. “If the street gets repaved, my cat won’t know where he is.”
— we don’t doubt the cat’s emotional attachment to the potholes.

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