"Well, I can't say I'm surprised but I really didn't expect it to play out that way," said Greene County Associate Commissioner Harold Bengsch.

He was speaking of an 11th-hour plea by several agencies and residents to change the county's new land use plan.

"That's nothing but urban sprawl," said Earl Slavens of Ash Grove. "We're using our farm land up at a tremendous rate and, once it's gone, it's gone and you can't get it back."

"A whole lot more light needs to be shed on people making decisions that will affect their wallet and their future from now on," said Galen Chadwick of the Well-Fed Neighbor Alliance.

The plan shows how the county envisions further population growth in Greene County. The county commisison approved the plan on Monday, with the agreement to re-examine it in two years.

The county says the plan is a loose guide; nothing is set in stone. Under the plan, any changes in planning and zoning still have to go before that department and the Greene County Commission.

Bengsch wants both sides of the issue to take the next two years to talk and debate any changes that the plan likely will need.

"You can't ever expect everybody to agree on everything but there may be some major areas of concern where they can achieve some consensus," he said.