Grayson County supervisors adopt five-year comprehensive plan update

Grayson County supervisors voted to adopt the county's five-year comprehensive plan update at their regular monthly meeting after staff said the document will be continuously updated and the board can request amendments as needed.

The measure passed on a roll-call vote after a motion, with named supervisors recording ayes. The board's discussion focused on the currency of some statistical information in the plan and the prospect of commissioning a full rewrite in about a year to capture new surveys and community input.

The plan's staff presenter told the board the update uses the most recent census numbers provided through the Mount Rogers Planning District Commission and the Berkeley Group. Vice Chairman (speaker) said the plan is a living document and that staff can accept corrections and bring changes forward, and the county can add items such as transportation projects to keep the plan current. "It's not like we have to do it every 5 years. It's something that we will always continuously work on," the county staff presenter said.

Several supervisors asked how particular strategies in the plan would be implemented. One supervisor asked about a strategy to create incentives to remove pre-1976 manufactured homes and to form a task force on environmental health issues related to septic systems and the lack of a full-time environmental health officer. The county building official and staff said the strategy is longstanding and that the county typically addresses septic and plumbing assistance in coordination with the health department and through an organization referred to in the meeting as "Rooftop," which staff said handles plumbing assistance referrals.

Board members pressed staff for corrections to outdated statistics; one supervisor flagged that some survey references dated from 2013 for topics such as childcare. Staff said a complete rewrite would include new community surveys and public meetings and will require hiring outside help because of cost. "I feel it necessary this next cycle to actually do a complete rewrite," staff said, adding the rewrite would include new surveys and outreach to capture recent data.

After discussion, the board adopted the resolution to approve and adopt the comprehensive plan update by roll call. Named supervisors recorded aye votes during the roll call. Staff said they will collect suggested changes from supervisors and the planning commission and bring amendments forward as needed.

The board also heard a separate comment from a supervisor emphasizing population and employment trends cited in the plan: projected population decline from 2020 to 2050 and a high share of residents who leave the county for work. The supervisor urged staff to help shepherd incoming employers to county administration so the county can act on opportunities to bring jobs to Grayson County.

Looking ahead, staff indicated it will present a proposal to budget for a full rewrite in the coming year and will accept board guidance on interim amendments.