Consultant outlines 18‑month plan update, recommends advisory committee

Lea County commissioners heard a presentation on June 1 about a comprehensive plan update from consultant Chuck McMahon, who said the county’s existing plan dates to the early 2000s and that an updated plan should guide land use, housing, infrastructure and hazard mitigation for the next 20–30 years.

McMahon said the update will cover nine topic areas — county profile, land use, housing, economic development, infrastructure, water, transportation, public facilities and hazard mitigation — and recommended two rounds of stakeholder outreach followed by validation with an advisory committee and review by the planning and zoning board. He described an 18‑month target schedule but said staff assistance and community questionnaires could accelerate outreach.

"It's not my plan. It's the community," McMahon told the commission, emphasizing that the planning process should reflect resident input and that the consultant’s role is to facilitate public discussion and translate results into policy recommendations. He suggested an advisory committee of roughly 10 members representing municipal partners, economic development entities and housing and infrastructure stakeholders, and he recommended that commissioners consider training to better understand planning and zoning functions.

Commissioners expressed support for the advisory committee approach, discussed logistical constraints around attending planning‑board sessions (a quorum concern) and asked staff to return with a proposed committee roster and schedule for the initial public outreach.

Next steps: staff will bring a proposed advisory committee membership and an outreach schedule to the commission for approval; the consultant will return with draft survey materials for round‑one stakeholder input.