Dawson County’s development plan for the next 20 years was submitted to the Department of Community Affairs for review earlier this month.
A culmination of years of collaboration between community members, planning staff and the board of commissioners, Dawson County’s Community Agenda is the county’s primary tool for community services, utilities and guiding Dawson County, said Community Development Director Lynn Tully.
The agenda, described by Tully as the most critical component of Dawson County’s Comprehensive Plan, lays out the community’s desired future and puts forth a strategy for reaching those goals.
Consisting of three primary components — Community Vision, Community Issues and Opportunities and Implementation — the agenda also includes two maps detailing both current and future development patterns for the county.
“The agenda represents diversity and economic growth in many forms,” Tully said. “Citizens express they are most concerned with sprawl and the ongoing elimination of green space in neighborhoods and preservation of rural areas.”
Those concerns, along with issues such as water quality, unattractive commercial areas and traffic alleviation, were taken into consideration when preparing the document and will all be reflected in the final agenda, Tully said, who presented to the Dawson County Board of Commissioners for a comprehensive review prior to transmission to the state.
Following state review, the final draft will be presented to the board of commissioners and the public for adoption.
Citizens are encouraged to provide additional input for the Community Agenda and may attend and participate in the final public hearing expected in October.
Additionally, citizens may complete an online comment form located on the Dawson County Web site.
“Community input is important and comments will continue to be taken into consideration up to the final public hearing,” said Tully.
For more information visit the Dawson County Web site www.dawsoncounty.org.
E-mail Michele Hester at michele@dawsonnews.com.