County amends and approves public participation plan for 2026 comprehensive plan update

The Ashland County Board voted July 22 to approve a public participation plan for the 2026 comprehensive plan update with a narrow amendment to clarify the county’s level of commitment to listed outreach activities. Supervisor Pessay introduced the committee report and said the planning committee would begin work with Northwest Regional Planning once a public participation plan was in place. Committee members described the draft plan as expansive — a “Cadillac plan” — and said the board needed flexibility about which outreach items to execute given resource constraints. Supervisor Kenny proposed inserting a single sentence ahead of a community display section: “Ashland County is considering some or all of the following for public participation.” The planning committee supported the amendment and the full board later approved the amended plan. County staff said the final step before work begins with Northwest Regional Planning was the board vote; staff also agreed to post the amended version to the public packet and follow up with a schedule that assigns responsibilities for specific outreach efforts. Why it matters: the comprehensive plan update will guide land‑use and policy choices for the county; clarifying the public participation plan sets expectations about outreach while enabling staff and partners to prioritize feasible engagement methods.