Early last month our mayor announced an elaborate plan to renovate the borders of the narrow stretch of highway running through the center of Ajijic.

The main objective is to make the busy, traffic-clogged zone friendlier to pedestrians and cyclists with nice sidewalks and a bike path spanning the north side of the roadway. Sounds like a winner, no?

Key to launching the costly makeover was putting the project up to public opinion, presumably to gain approval of the populace. But here’s the catch.

The methodology for carrying out the survey has changed day to day, remaining still uncertain as the Reporter went to press this week.

To clarify that point, since mid-July I have hunted down Chapala Public Works Director Rodrigo Paredes, who is in charge of drawing up the project plans; Social Development chief Diego Beltrán, who has been given the task of conducting the opinion poll; Ajijic Administrator Chuni Medeles; and staff at the city hall press office. So far, the sum of responses is as clear as mud.

What has occurred to date includes an informal chat that transpired last week between Chapala Mayor Javier Degollado and a group of senior citizens enrolled in a social assistance program, and a public meeting held Wednesday night at the town’s cultural center.

About 50 villagers and a cadre of reporters attended the latter, alerted by written notices distributed in the immediate vicinity of the highway earlier that day and subsequent word of mouth.

The upshot: Most folks in the audience seemed to favor the general concept, but despite an ardent sales pitch, Beltrán, Paredes and Urban Development Director Pepe Barajas were ill-prepared to spell out details and answer pointed questions from the crowd.  They passed around print-outs of architectural renderings showing what the final project might look like, which did little to answer specific doubts that emerged.   

A local teacher called the officials on the carpet for their half-baked presentation and sketchy specifications. “Números, Señores,” he demanded.

Oscar España, from the government’s own ranks, concurred with that assessment.

Attorney Azucena Bateman fired off a long list of precise questions, specifically asking for an explanation of why officials waited until the last minute to put the project up for consideration by the townspeople.

It turns out that the government got the skinny on available state funding back in February and the city council approved the general terms of the project in April. The tentative date for starting work is August 14, leaving a tiny window of opportunity for people to voice judgment.

Seemingly humbled by their poor performance, the Chapala officials promised a follow-up meeting sometime next week, when they will lay out the plan in full detail, including a three-dimensional model.

When and where it happen remains up in the air.

Expats who have lived here awhile will recall how villagers raised hell with the previous administration in 2014 for imposing a major overall of central streets without public consent. Opposition evolved into a formal complaint to Jalisco’s Human Rights Commission which later emitted a stern reprimand and written advisory that public opinion should be taken into accountant for all future public works projects.

The current municipal government has followed that recommendation to some extent with activities vaguely termed as consulta pública or socialización. But the diverse methods employed have had little rhyme or reason other than to, again, impose lofty ideas coming from the powers that be.

So don’t count on the authorities to earnestly seek your views on the Ajijic improvements. Still, anyone who wants to weigh in shouldn’t hesitate to deliver written suggestions to the Delegación office or post a message on its Facebook page.