Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Growth Policy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Consultants outline growth‑policy update for Daniels County, cite missing 2017 implementation pages
Summary
Interstate Engineering’s lead planner presented a schedule and outreach plan for updating Daniels County’s growth policy, noting missing implementation pages from the 2017 version and promising a mid‑May final plan with an implementation table to aid grant applications.
Rachel Laqua, lead planner with Interstate Engineering, told the Daniels County Board of County Commissioners that the county’s growth‑policy update will proceed with digital public engagement this fall and a target final plan in mid‑May. “The goal is for that final plan to conclude mid May,” Laqua said, outlining a public‑input survey running through October, draft plans from November through April, and an April public meeting to receive further comment.
Laqua said the 2017 growth plan lacked the final seven pages containing implementation steps, apparently omitted after staff turnover, and the current project will explicitly include an implementation table so the county can better pursue state and federal grants. She told commissioners that the team will produce an early draft for review by both the planning board and the commission in January or February and return in April for a public presentation.
Why it matters: commissioners and residents told Laqua that Daniels County faces several interlocking challenges identified in the plan—an aging population, limited local health‑care capacity, scarce buildable land, and seasonal hunting visitors who strain services. The consultants said the update will aim to translate goals into concrete, fundable steps.
During a broad discussion, attendees raised specific needs they want reflected in the implementation plan, including county infrastructure projects (a county shop, a consolidated fire hall), senior‑housing and assisted‑living options, and better tracking of lodging occupancy and short‑term rentals so tax revenue from visitors is captured. One participant described persistent problems from out‑of‑county hunters camping on road shoulders and leaving safety and maintenance costs to the county; commissioners discussed enforcement limits and possible outreach strategies to encourage lawful behavior.
The consultants said outreach will be largely digital—QR‑code postcards, a social‑media posting strategy, and demographic questions to check representativeness—while acknowledging in‑person turnout for policy meetings is often low. Laqua also recommended sequencing the capital‑improvement plan (CIP) after the growth policy to make grant applications more effective.
Next steps: Interstate Engineering will launch the online survey through October, supply draft plans late in the year, and return to present a draft in April. The consultants said they will prepare a concrete implementation table to accompany the final plan and will help identify potential grants to fund prioritized projects.
