Henry County supervisors will meet with the county’s planning board at 1 p.m. Monday at the Henry County Administration Building as part of their next steps toward establishing the first comprehensive plan in three decades.
Both the board of supervisors and the planning board are working in tandem to establish a functioning comprehensive plan, which will serve as a sort of guidepost for county policies over the next several years.
The county describes the comprehensive plan as something that “provides a guiding vision for the physical development of a locality.”
The joint session allows both groups to reach a consensus on specific points to be included in the comprehensive plan. While past joint sessions have tackled housing, Monday’s joint work session is geared toward transportation.
While counties are required to keep and regularly update their own comprehensive plan, localities often adhere to their own update schedule.
Henry County’s current comprehensive plan dates back to the mid ’90s. Originally, it was meant to provide the county guidance between the years 1995 and 2010.
“It’s a little bit out of date,” said County Manager Dale Wagoner during a regular session last May.
Supervisors agreed saying that while the current plan is 15 years past due, supervisors have said that a timeframe of around 5 years is ideal.
Last year, county supervisors retained the Berkeley Group in the hopes of establishing a new comprehensive plan that not only reflects the county’s current needs but also assists them when pursuing grant funding for projects.
Next steps include collecting additional supervisor feedback and incorporating edits. Land use is another major topic that supervisors have to consider.
The next work session is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Sept. 22.
