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Marvin Planning Consultants outlines public engagement-first approach for Coffey County comprehensive plan
Summary
Marvin Planning Consultants presented its approach to creating a countywide comprehensive plan, emphasizing public engagement, town-hall meetings, targeted focus groups and web-based outreach; commissioners will receive RFP responses and set a follow-up review time.
Keith Marvin of Marvin Planning Consultants and partners from engineering firm FHU presented their comprehensive-plan approach to the Coffey County commissioners at the Jan. 21 meeting.
Lede/nut graf: Marvin described a community-focused, multi-step process that combines in-person focus groups and town-hall meetings with online surveys, postcards, and crowd-sourcing tools. He emphasized a practical, implementable plan that supports zoning and future grant applications.
Marvin said his team typically conducts an intensive on-site engagement week (four to five days of focused meetings and evening town halls) and uses postcard mailings, online surveys (SurveyMonkey), a MindMixer crowd-sourcing tool and targeted focus groups to solicit input. He showed an example plan his firm prepared for another Kansas county (Ellis County) that won a planning award and said the firm frequently partners with FHU for transportation and infrastructure chapters.
Why it matters: the comprehensive plan will frame county land-use policy, infrastructure priorities and grant-readiness for several years. Commissioners confirmed they will review the RFP responses (three firms submitted proposals) and scheduled a follow-up review; staff will distribute printed RFP copies to the board.
Marvin and the team answered commissioners' questions about steering committees (he recommended 8'0 members but said 13 also works), public outreach logistics for multiple small towns and compiling technical data such as soils, utilities and transportation networks. FHU's Jesse Porter described transportation and infrastructure chapter components and grant-readiness work.
Ending: Commissioners thanked the presenters. County staff said RFP responses would be circulated and that commissioners would place a review of the proposals on a future agenda.
