County committee reviews consultantproposal to update 20-year general plan; cost, timeline and procurement debated

The Codes and Zoning Enforcement Committee on Monday heard a proposal from contracted planner Amanda Harrington of Reinhardt Consulting Services to update the county—s 20‑year general plan, with a broad cost estimate of $93,000 to $118,000 and a projected 10–12 month timeline.

Harrington, who described herself as a Tennessee‑based planning consultant with two decades of experience, walked the committee through a seven‑task scope of work that includes project initiation and management (estimated $8,000–$10,000), an existing‑conditions audit (estimated $15,000–$18,000), public and stakeholder engagement (surveys and up to three public meetings), future land‑use refinement, plan‑element updates (land use, housing, transportation, utilities, economic development), implementation and funding strategy, and review and adoption support. "What I did is I put together a very general, very general estimate," Harrington said in the meeting packet presentation.

Committee members expressed support for updating the plan but questioned the price tag and timing. One member noted a 2021 estimate prepared by the regional council (GNRC) for similar work of about $41,000 and pointed to the county—s park plan renewal cost of roughly $50,000 as comparators. The group discussed pursuing grant funding — participants mentioned a USDA grant used for earlier work — and agreed the county should solicit multiple bids for comparison rather than rely on a single proposal.

Several members also emphasized the need for the full county commission to be engaged in the plan update. "If the commission's involved in it, they have their say in it," an unidentified committee member said, noting the risk that a new commission could change direction and render partial work moot. The committee discussed phased payments tied to task milestones to reduce fiscal risk.

The meeting included questions about how robust public outreach should be. Harrington said successful general‑plan updates typically include outreach methods beyond statutorily required hearings, such as charrettes, town halls and surveys, and recommended an advisory coordinating committee composed of commission members and planning commissioners.

The committee also debated procurement mechanics. Members reiterated that state law does not require selecting the lowest bid and that qualifications and depth of proposal can justify a higher cost. One member summarized the next steps as gathering information, preparing a bid package and returning recommendations to the full commission.

Votes at a glance: The only formal action recorded was a procedural motion to adjourn (motion recorded in the meeting minutes as "David made the motion to adjourn" with a second by "Judy"), which passed by voice consent at the meeting's close.

The committee asked staff to assemble comparative bids, identify possible grant sources and return with copies of the current plan at the next meeting so members can more thoroughly review the existing document before authorizing a solicitation or contract.