Richland County commissioners voted Thursday to provide $50,000 in county funds to support a jointly produced comprehensive land‑use management plan for the county and participating cities, commissioners and presenters said during an Aug. 14 meeting.

The money will be provided through an agreement with the regional planning agency and will help pay for a consultant to prepare a comprehensive plan intended to guide where residential, commercial and industrial development should occur across the county and within participating cities, the chamber representative said.

Jessica Gribben, representing the local chamber of commerce, told commissioners the request was "in fact, asking for an investment," and described the proposal as a joint effort that would save taxpayer money by combining resources across the county and several cities, including Shelby and Mansfield. Jodica, a representative of a local planning organization who advised the county on the effort, said the county needs an updated plan to provide developers and elected officials with a blueprint for where development should occur.

Commissioners and presenters discussed the project's timing and scope. Gribben and Jodica said the plan would be developed jointly with nearby municipalities that recently completed or updated their plans, including the city of Ontario and the village of Lexington, so county resources can be leveraged and local needs for Shelby and Mansfield can be addressed specifically. Jodica said the procuring schedule in the request for proposals (RFP) sets a 12‑ to 18‑month timeline for the consultant work; she told commissioners the county planned to issue the RFP the following week and to have a signed contract by October 2025.

Several commissioners raised concerns about the length of time comprehensive plans can take and about plans becoming outdated as elected officials change. One commissioner noted that the process of consultant work, review and community presentations can extend into multiple years; Jodica responded that the RFP time line is 12 to 18 months and the county planned to move quickly. Andrew Keller, the county administrator, advised that Ohio Revised Code section 307.152 authorizes the commissioners to enter into an agreement to enable the money to flow and offered to assist in drafting the contract.

After discussion, a commissioner moved that "the county work with the chamber on a $50,000 county taxpayer contribution to the comprehensive plan." The motion was approved unanimously by the commissioners present. The agreement will be executed with the regional planning agency, and staff were directed to draft the contract and proceed with procurement steps.

Next steps recorded in the meeting: issue the RFP, draft and execute an agreement with the regional planning agency under Ohio Revised Code section 307.152, and begin consultant work after contract execution with a projected consultant timeline of 12–18 months. The county and participating municipalities plan public engagement as part of the process so the final plan can serve as a reference for future development decisions.