Boone County planning staff and project consultants reported to the Committee of the Whole on Nov. 6 that the countys Comprehensive Plan update is complete and ready to move toward formal adoption.

Mim Evans of the Center for Government at Northern Illinois University and Todd Mananlak, consultant, summarized more than a year of work that began in May 2024, including formation of an advisory task force, a resident survey, an interactive website with mapping pins, targeted outreach to students and older residents, open houses and participation at the county fair. "One of the strongest directions we had from the county was that there should be a plan that reflected the wishes of the residents," Evans said, noting task-force input and broad outreach.

Consultants said the 2025 plans future land-use map incorporates updates from municipal plans in Belvidere and Poplar Grove and shifts toward more preservation of agricultural and open-space land compared with the 2020 plan. The plan includes seven standard elements (land use, housing, transportation, utilities, economic development, natural resources and implementation) and an implementation table that lists objectives, strategies, partners and suggested phasing.

Board members asked about participation metrics and detailed categorizations. Staff said the online process has recorded roughly 900–1,000 visits since spring 2024 and that open-house counts were not formally tracked; consultants said they can adjust how "farmstead" and agricultural categories are drawn if the board prefers. "If you would prefer to categorize it differently, we can certainly do that," Mim Evans said.

The Regional Planning Commission held a public hearing Oct. 7 and recommended adoption (4–0). Staff asked the board to review any edits and prepare for formal adoption by the full board of trustees; no adoption vote was taken at the committee meeting.

Planning staff said they intend the document to be a practical work program and implementation guide, not only a land-use map, and noted coordinated actions with school districts, conservation partners and roadway planning as part of implementation steps.