Kimley Horn updates Elbert County comprehensive plan; commissioners press for itemized invoices and clearer town outreach

Blake Young of Kimley Horn told the Elbert County Board of County Commissioners on March 25 that the consultant team is advancing the county's comprehensive plan, including a draft future land use map, vision statement and core principles and a schedule that aims for adoption in June or July.

The presentation noted community engagement that included two open houses, two stand-alone events and the county fair, and Young said the project team received more than 900 survey responses — “one of the largest, if not the largest response rate that we've gotten,” he said. Young described the draft future land use map as a guidance document — not zoning — and said the team removed acreage ranges from the map to allow more flexibility and to defer technical standards to a later zoning update.

Commissioners pressed for clearer outreach to incorporated towns. One commissioner said mayors of Simla, Kiowa and Elizabeth reported they had not yet been contacted; Young replied the project team will meet with those municipalities after the planning commission reaches preliminary consensus on the map. Young said the next planning commission working session is scheduled for March 31, and that planning commissioners' written comments on chapters 1–4 are due back to the project team by March 27.

Commissioner McDaniel raised a budget concern, saying the project appears about $24,000 over the originally expected amount and requesting more detail on invoices. Young responded that the consultant team keeps time logs and can provide itemized sell notes or invoices broken out by task; he offered to supply those records going forward so the board can see categories rather than a one-line “professional services” description.

The board discussed how the comprehensive plan differs from zoning: Young reiterated that the future land use map provides guidance on desired long-term land use patterns and that specific regulatory standards and any zoning changes would follow in a separate code update. He said the plan team will continue iterative work with the steering committee and planning commission and expects to send chapters 5–11 to the planning commission later in spring for review.

Next procedural steps: the planning commission working session on the draft future land use map is scheduled for March 31; consultant and staff updates will follow and the board will be asked to consider next steps after planning commission feedback.