Lake County begins public review of draft 'One Community' values; stakeholders sessions set for June

Lake County Community Planning & Development on June 9 presented draft community values developed through a recent public engagement campaign and invited further public feedback and stakeholder review.

Brooke Murphy, working with the county’s project team, summarized the engagement that produced the draft statements: 611 individual “values” forms collected between January and April, more than 40 formal small-group conversations, a community connector pilot to amplify Latinx and Spanish-speaking voices, and three pop-up community events. Murphy said the draft values are now out for about six weeks of public comment and asked the community, “Did we get it right?”

Staff described how the qualitative inputs were coded and analyzed (imported into a qualitative analysis platform and grouped into emergent themes) and how the values will feed into visioning, goal-setting and later implementation. The draft values presented to the commission emphasized: connection to nature and outdoor access; a rugged, authentic mountain character; a civic ethic of working together to solve problems; neighborliness and belonging; honoring roots and diverse backgrounds; and ensuring stability and opportunity so people can put down roots and thrive.

Commissioners and planning commissioners provided detailed editorial feedback on phrasing and emphasis. Discussion points included:

- Reordering and wording: several commissioners suggested small wording changes (for example, emphasizing stewardship and protection of outdoor spaces, replacing the word “flashy” with “authentic” or “genuine,” and clarifying that “honoring our roots” should explicitly include people who move to the community and newer residents).

- Aspiration vs. present reality: some participants noted that certain values — especially those about honoring diverse roots and inclusion — are aspirational and may not reflect the current state in all parts of the community. Staff and the consultant framed values as forward-looking statements that guide future strategies.

- Participation results: staff said the connector program increased self-identified Latinx participation from roughly 8% at midpoint to about 24% by the end of the engagement period. Family representation also increased but remained below Census proportions.

County staff and consultants also announced topical stakeholder sessions to dive deeper into five areas: housing, land use, infrastructure, economic development, and natural resources & conservation. Confirmed dates shared at the meeting included housing on June 17, economic development on June 23 and infrastructure on June 24; sessions will be hosted at Colorado Mountain College (CMC) and will be hybrid where feasible. The stakeholder sessions are intended to present assessment data and trends, gather technical feedback from relevant groups, and start scenario and goal-setting work ahead of broader community visioning events planned for July.

Staff asked planning commission members and commissioners to attend sessions relevant to their interests if possible and to designate a commissioner liaison where appropriate. Staff said summary materials and a consolidated schedule would be circulated to reduce attendee confusion about multiple calendar invites.

County staff said the values and the stakeholder discussions will be used to shape draft goals and strategies for the comprehensive planning process, with additional rounds of community testing planned before the county adopts specific policies.