Daniels County hires Interstate Engineering to update growth policy; public survey set for fall

Rachel Laqua of Interstate Engineering told the Daniels County Commission that the county's 2017 growth policy appears to be missing its final implementation pages and outlined a timetable for an update.

"The goal is for that final plan to conclude mid May so in time for the next round of Commerce grants," Rachel Laqua said, describing a public input survey to run from late September through October, draft plan development from November through April, and an April presentation to the commission and planning board.

Why it matters: the update will produce an implementation table that consultants and staff say is critical for qualifying applications for state grant rounds and for prioritizing capital projects. Commission members and residents raised a range of priorities the update should address, including housing, aging-in-place needs, infrastructure repairs and approaches to seasonal visitor pressures.

Key items from the meeting: - Missing implementation pages: Laqua said the last seven pages of the 2017 plan are not in the file the county is using; restoring implementation steps is a driver of the update. - Public outreach: consultants will run a mostly digital survey with QR-code postcards, a county website posting and social-media promotion; the consultant noted turnout for in-person policy meetings is often low and proposed an April public meeting timed with the planning board's quarterly meeting. - Priorities flagged by participants: senior and assisted-living options, workforce housing, county infrastructure (county shop, fire hall), courthouse repairs and a capital-improvements program (CIP) tied to the implementation table. - Sequencing for grants: Laqua recommended finishing the growth policy before launching a CIP so the county can use the plan's implementation table when applying for CDBG/MF and Commerce grants; she warned some grant programs cannot overlap.

Participants emphasized local constraints: limited staffing for grant-writing, a small local population and infrastructure challenges such as building availability and high freight costs for materials. Laqua proposed breaking larger goals into small, fundable steps to build momentum and suggested staff identify near-term items that could be packaged for available grants.

What comes next: consultants will finalize outreach materials and launch the online survey in late September; they expect to present draft plan material to the planning board and commission before an April public meeting and aim for a mid-May final document that includes an implementation table for grant use.