Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Zoning And Planning topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Commissioners debate $300,000 zoning code overhaul, weigh consultant vs. in-house work
Summary
Commissioners discussed a proposed comprehensive zoning/code update and whether to hire an outside consultant (estimated up to $300,000) or complete the work in-house over a longer timeline; staff said the $300,000 figure is a one-time maximum and can be budgeted over multiple years.
Douglas County commissioners on July 14 discussed whether to fund a comprehensive zoning-code update and whether to hire a consultant to complete the work on a faster timetable.
Staff told the commission the project could take two to three years with a consultant and substantially longer if handled entirely in-house. "The $300,000 is really considered to be a maximum, onetime price," staff said, and noted the county would put awarded funds into equipment reserves and spend them over multiple years as required by the project schedule.
Several commissioners questioned whether the county’s zoning staff, currently lean and with a held-open position, could take on the work without harming customer service. One commissioner said they had cut consultant funding in their worksheet after reviewing the projected long runway, arguing that paying a consultant $300,000 for a similar timeline may not be the best return on investment. Another commissioner said they were "completely convinced that our codes need to be reviewed" and supported retaining a consultant who could draw from other counties’ datasets and experience.
No final appropriation was recorded in the transcript; commissioners discussed reducing the request or budgeting a one-time allocation while acknowledging the work’s multi-year scope and the need for an RFP or bid process before selecting a partner.
