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Benton County staff outline phased comprehensive‑plan and development‑code updates; public advisory group to start in January
Summary
Benton County staff briefed commissioners on a phased update to the county comprehensive plan and development code, funded in part with DLCD technical assistance and county CIP dollars; early tasks focus on outreach design, an equity assessment and an audit of code changes required by recent state laws.
Benton County Community Development staff presented a status update on parallel projects to update the county comprehensive plan and to audit and begin revisions to the county development code.
Why it matters: the county said the multi‑year program aims to align the comprehensive plan and development code with state law changes, improve code clarity and design a more inclusive public outreach process to reach underrepresented populations during the planning process.
Shannon Busch, program coordinator in Benton County Community Development, said the comprehensive‑plan project is scoped as a multi‑phase effort that can span up to five years and that Phase 1 (funded by a $50,000 DLCD technical assistance grant) focuses on designing an inclusive outreach plan (IOP), drafting a regional vision (DLCD work plan) and completing an equity/inclusion self‑assessment. Busch said Phase 1 work must conclude in May 2025 and that the county expects to convene a comp‑plan advisory group (CPAG) beginning in January 2025 composed of representatives of high‑priority or underrepresented populations.
On resourcing, Busch said the county expects to receive $10,000 reimbursement from DLCD for the IOP and that additional county funding (anticipated $10,000–$20,000) will support web presence and outreach. The CPAG will act as a sounding board and help the county reach community groups that do not typically participate in planning hearings.
On the development‑code update, staff said Phase 1 is an administrative audit and correction of code language and statutory conformity rather than a policy rewrite. That project is funded by a $75,000 county CIP allocation and is due to conclude Phase 1 in June 2025. Consultants (MIG) have compiled a draft audit, flagged references to recent state legislation and identified lower‑risk code edits to implement first; policy‑level code changes would follow after comprehensive‑plan policy changes are resolved.
Busch said next steps include starting CPAG outreach this month for January meetings, vetting and finalizing the IOP with county subcommittees, pursuing DLCD funding for Phase 2, and continuing code audit iterations with consultants. Staff asked commissioners and advisory subcommittees to help vet outreach and provide technical input.
No formal votes were taken on the updates; staff sought input and confirmed the county intends to form subcommittees and work with city partners and advisory bodies as the multi‑phase work proceeds through 2025 and beyond.
