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Council delays vote on $50,000 comprehensive-plan contract after members request more review
Summary
Council debated an 18-month, up-to-$50,000 scope of work from the Berkeley Charleston Dorchester COG for the town's 10-year comprehensive plan, with supporters citing technical capacity and opponents requesting more time; the council unanimously voted to defer the decision for further review.
Councilors opened a motion to contract with the Berkeley Charleston Dorchester Council of Governments (BC‑COG) to prepare the town’s 10‑year comprehensive plan. Megan Clark, the COG’s assistant planning director, described an 18‑month process that would include GIS and ESRI analysis, open houses, surveys and policy recommendations and said federal planning funds subsidize the work, keeping the town’s billable hours lean.
Clark told council the scope has an estimated not‑to‑exceed cost of $50,000 and that the COG “only bill[s] for the hours that we actually spend on your project.” Several council members said they support a professional plan but requested more time to review samples and grant prospects before committing taxpayer funds. Councilwoman Julia Drayton Crumlin said she was “inclined to say we can wait the 30 days so that everybody feels comfortable,” and other members raised similar requests to compare examples and confirm grant offsets.
After discussion, a motion to defer consideration of the COG scope and services agreement was offered and seconded; the council voted unanimously to defer. Staff said the town still needs an updated comprehensive plan and that an updated plan would help when applying for grants and in negotiations with state agencies, but councilors asked for additional time to review the proposal and supporting documents before returning to the item.
