Mercer County planning commission asks commissioners to add Land Use Plan to consultant contract

The Mercer County Planning Commission voted unanimously Thursday to ask the Board of County Commissioners to amend its contract with consultant firm Donovan & Kaffer to include a rewrite of the county Land Use Plan.

Jennifer M. Gooss, an attorney with Donovan & Kaffer, told the commission the ordinance chapters "are so intertwined" that the rewrite "is taking longer than anticipated" and that the Land Use Plan should have been redone first. She said she would prefer to see the Land Use Plan and related ordinance chapters approved together and suggested May of next year as a target for combined action.

The recommendation followed the circulation of a hard copy of the subdivision regulations and the storm-water chapter of the ordinance, which contained questions and comments from the contractor. Commissioners asked Gooss clarifying questions about what materials would be distributed to external agencies, the timelines and deadlines for review, park-fee provisions, and technical submission requirements such as whether a freehand sketch would be acceptable for topographic surveys and the necessity of soil percolation tests.

Commissioner Chris Renner moved that the Board of County Commissioners revisit the contract with Donovan & Kaffer, amend it to add the Land Use Plan rewrite, and review the associated finances; the motion was seconded by Neumiller. All members present voted "aye," and the motion carried.

Earlier in the meeting the commission approved the meeting agenda and the minutes of May 15, 2025. The board had no subdivision or zoning cases on this month's docket. The meeting was adjourned at 7:42 p.m.

The commission's request will be forwarded to the Board of County Commissioners for consideration; no further schedule or funding details were provided at the meeting.