Carroll County staff outlines master‑plan work groups; commissioners request broader representation

County planning staff presented proposed master‑plan work groups, described participant affiliations and outreach plans on March 18, and sought commissioner feedback on final invitees.

Daphne, a county planning staff member, summarized changes: adding commercial real‑estate representation to the site‑development group, adding rental housing management and teacher/health‑care worker representation to the housing group, and increasing citizen‑at‑large slots so the work groups capture a range of demographics. “We added a couple more citizen at large slots… and the rental housing management company under other stakeholders,” Daphne said.

Commissioners urged geographic dispersion of citizen participants so work groups reflect the whole county rather than only municipal voices; several commissioners recommended including Amish community representation on the agricultural work group. Daphne said staff had discussed outreach to Amish residents and would make an effort to ensure their perspectives are represented across relevant work groups.

On housing, the Commission discussed the ‘missing middle’ — housing that serves middle‑income households — and suggested the plan examine price bands and tools to encourage moderately priced dwelling units (MPDUs). Commissioners and staff also discussed coordinating with Carroll Hospital and county economic‑development offices to plan for medical‑service growth tied to local demand and workforce housing needs.

Next steps: staff will contact commissioners individually to refine invitee lists and will recruit citizen members through social media and the master‑plan subscriber list. Work groups are expected to begin in late April or early May, with staff and commissioners assigned to refine membership and meeting schedules.