Committee flags confusing 'hourglass' icon and timeline language in draft comp plan

A committee member raised repeated concerns that the plan’s time labels and the 'hourglass' marker were confusing to readers. The committee member said the charts didn’t make clear whether 'near term' referred to start date or completion and that the hourglass marking — intended to signal items worked on in the first five years — did not consistently match items labeled near term: "the hourglass is supposed to identify things that are gonna be worked on in the 1st 5 years."

Staff member explained the hourglass designation reflects what the county could realistically start and complete using current staffing and funding (a worst‑case internal assumption), not necessarily every action the community would like to see in five years. Staff recommended clarifying language on page 54 (implementation timeline) and adding explanatory copy so readers understand near term (0–5 years), mid term (5–10 years) and long term (10+ years) relate to completion windows under current resourcing. The committee asked staff to indicate where items depend on new funding or a commissioner’s prioritization versus those the county can commit to immediately.

Why this matters: without clearer language, residents and outside stakeholders may misread priorities and expect earlier implementation than the county can deliver. Staff agreed to revise the plan text to better explain the hourglass logic, to re‑mark some items where appropriate, and to call out which actions are internal commitments versus contingent on new funding. The draft will be posted for public review in August and return for a November hearing.