County advances online GIS mapping; staff recommend paragraph for comprehensive plan

The county administrator told the Economic Development Commission that Northumberland County is updating its GIS zoning layer, has an internal interactive GIS instance, and is exploring third‑party vendors to finalize and publish an online mapping tool for public use.

Stuart (GIS staff) reported that a first pass of the zoning update is nearly complete: “he has completed the first pass on 47 of the 54 tax maps so far,” which will require a second pass to reconcile parcel splits and split zoning. The internal platform already contains 9‑1‑1 addresses, roads, tax maps, land‑book information and multiple years of aerial photos.

Drew, the county administrator, reminded commissioners that state law designates one official zoning map — kept in the building and zoning office — and one official tax map in the real estate office; the online map would be an unofficial, discoverability tool for businesses and prospective investors. He said the county is collecting pricing from vendors and that if costs are modest the project could be handled administratively; if costs exceed procurement thresholds staff will follow competitive solicitation rules.

Commissioners asked Stuart to write a short paragraph describing the online GIS tool for inclusion in the county’s comprehensive/land‑use plan so the mapping effort is reflected in planning documents. No formal commitment to publish was made; next steps are vendor pricing, budget review and a decision by the board of supervisors.