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Daniels County planners outline growth‑policy update and public outreach plan
Summary
Interstate Engineering lead planner Rachel Laqua presented a schedule to revamp Daniels County’s 2017 growth policy, including a late‑September public survey, winter drafts, and an April public meeting; commissioners flagged priorities such as implementation steps, infrastructure projects and senior housing.
Rachel Laqua, lead planner with Interstate Engineering, told Daniels County commissioners on the record that the firm will update the county’s 2017 growth policy and has scheduled a digital public survey in late September through October followed by draft plans from November through April.
Laqua said the current 2017 plan appears to be missing its final implementation pages; she told the commission the omission was one reason the planning board pushed for an update and promised the new document will include an implementation table to support grant applications and capital planning.
Why it matters: an implementation table and a clear timeline make it easier for a sparsely staffed county to pursue targeted grants and small concrete projects rather than an unworkable “wish list.” Laqua said the timeline aims for a mid‑May completion to align with grant cycles and to inform the county’s capital improvement planning.
Commissioners and residents raised several priorities Laqua said she will fold into the update and the implementation plan, including county infrastructure (a replacement county shop and a combined fire hall/community center), courthouse repairs, and workforce and housing strategies tied to local employers. Laqua also proposed a modest public engagement approach: a mostly digital survey with postcards and QR codes, a targeted set of demographic questions to measure representativeness, and an April in‑person meeting timed with the planning board’s quarterly session to increase attendance.
The draft implementation approach emphasizes small, demonstrable projects to build momentum. "If we can start small and show some success somewhere, it builds on itself," Laqua said, noting prior rural grant programs that funded modest but high‑impact upgrades such as commercial kitchens and community center improvements.
Laqua said the update will examine programs and incentives that could support appropriate housing types for aging residents and workers — for example, slab‑on‑grade single‑level homes or tax abatements for redevelopment — and will list concrete next steps and responsible parties so the county can apply for funding more effectively.
The commission agreed that coordination with the City of Scobby and local economic development partners will be important but noted the county has limited staff capacity to lead implementation work. Laqua said the growth policy will recommend actionable steps and potential grant sources the county could pursue, then transition to a CIP to prioritize capital projects.
Next steps: Interstate Engineering will run the public survey in late September through October, deliver draft plans in the winter, and present a near‑final plan with an implementation table in April. Commissioners asked staff to make zoning maps and the county zoning ordinance available to planners and the public to inform those drafts.
