Consultants outline Bourbon County comprehensive plan process; steering group will recommend two firms to commissioners

Christopher Shires, principal and vice president at Confluence, and Abby Eckberg, a project planner at the firm, presented a proposed comprehensive-plan process to a Bourbon County steering group on a weeknight in Fort Scott. The consultants described a five-phase approach that includes an existing-conditions assessment, a public-input phase using both an online engagement platform and a statistically valid household survey, draft chapters and open houses, and final adoption with an optional zoning-recommendations memo.

"This is your community. This is your plan," Shires said, stressing that the firm’s role is to gather community input and deliver a usable document rather than a plan that “just sits on the shelf.” Eckberg described two survey options: an online Social Pinpoint engagement and an EPC household survey that the consultants said can be designed to achieve a 95% confidence level.

The presentation covered stakeholder interviews, countywide data analysis (parcel-level land-use review, housing tenure, population trends) and multiple engagement formats — in-person workshops, one-on-one interviews, and an engagement website — intended to broaden participation and reduce the influence of a single vocal group. Shires said the team will produce draft chapters for the steering group and hold joint workshops with the planning commission and county commission before public hearings.

Committee members asked whether Confluence could also draft zoning regulations as part of the effort. Shires said zoning could be included and estimated the zoning portion would add cost and time depending on scope. "In round numbers, about 50,000 — 40 to 50,000 depending on how much," he said, adding that public engagement and meeting frequency are the biggest drivers of consultant fees.

The group discussed local concerns, including how any moratorium would interact with zoning work and the need to avoid regulating agricultural activity. A committee member raised a separate community rumor reported on social media that a data center might be looking at Bourbon County; others expressed skepticism about power availability and disagreed on the rumor’s plausibility.

Later in the meeting the steering group entered executive session under KSA 75-4319(b)(4) to discuss data relating to financial affairs and trade secrets. After returning to open session the committee decided to recommend that the county commissioners invite discussions with two firms — Confluence and Foster and Associates — and to seek commissioners’ feedback on price and scope. The recommendation was made and approved unanimously by voice vote.

The committee did not finalize a contract in the meeting; members said the next procedural step is for the county commissioners to place the recommendation on their meeting agenda and negotiate terms. The consultants suggested a 12-month timeline for the comp plan but said overlapping certain phases could extend or compress the schedule to roughly 12–14 months depending on whether zoning work is included.

The steering group closed the meeting by agreeing to adjourn and to await the county commissioners’ action on the recommendation.