Commission to pilot short online contest and local events to kick off comprehensive-plan outreach

Planning staff told the commission they would promote the comprehensive-plan update through a combination of county social media, the county website and physical outreach at local events.

"If we did it, we'd try and promote it really big and have it for, like, a week or 2 weeks at the most," the staff member said when describing a proposed contest to capture resident preferences among three branding concepts. Commissioners suggested targeting specific stakeholder groups (agricultural and forestal committees, PTAs, and church groups) and using summer festivals such as the Black Bear Festival to gather input from residents who do not typically attend planning meetings.

The commission discussed scheduling a joint work session with the Board in late April or May to present the recommended outreach approach and gather board feedback before a countywide public kickoff. Staff will return with refined promotional materials and a proposed schedule at a future meeting.