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Dickinson County awards comp-plan contract to RDG; commissioners debate use of AI
Summary
The Dickinson County Planning & Zoning Commission awarded the county comprehensive-plan contract to RDG and discussed whether to allow AI tools to assist; commissioners agreed RDG will lead the work and AI may be used for limited research and support.
The Dickinson County Planning and Zoning Commission heard that the county’s comprehensive-plan contract has been awarded to RDG and discussed how much, if any, artificial intelligence should be used in drafting the plan.
Megan Kardell, Dickinson County zoning administrator, told commissioners the contract for the comprehensive plan was awarded to RDG and that staff will have correspondence with the consultant every two weeks. She also said she has not yet signed a master services agreement or hired firms for proposed renewable-energy ordinances because the comp plan has taken precedence.
The matter sparked a debate over the role of AI tools. Supervisor Levi Markwardt said RDG’s human experience and interaction make the firm the better choice to lead the plan. “I would like to use the firm RDG versus AI,” Markwardt said. Chair James Blum agreed, saying he did not think AI could produce the plan in its entirety.
Commissioner Spencer Heywood, by contrast, said he has used the AI tool “Claude” and argued the commission should permit AI to help, noting the county is spending considerable funds on the plan. Supervisor Steve Clark cautioned against relying solely on AI, saying it may be used but should not replace human-led work until further developed.
Kardell proposed forming a steering committee to keep county priorities central and to ensure relevant boards have a voice; Commissioners Carol Pierce and Erica Schultes volunteered and Nancy Menke agreed to serve as an alternate. Kardell said RDG will continue as the primary consultant and that limited AI assistance could be considered for research tasks, not as a replacement for consultant work.
No formal vote was recorded on how AI will be used; the commission’s recorded actions were to accept RDG as the contracted consultant and to form a steering committee to advise the comp-plan process.
Next steps include finalizing the contract paperwork with RDG and regular biweekly correspondence between RDG and county staff. Kardell also noted that decisions about renewables ordinances will follow the comp-plan timeline.
