ANDERSON — Madison County officials are planning to conduct a minimum of 60 public meetings to get citizen input on the updating of the Madison County Comprehensive Plan.
The Madison County Council has approved spending $135,000 from the Rainy Day fund for the Madison County Council of Governments to update the county’s comprehensive plan. That plan was last adopted in 2001.
Following the adoption of the Comprehensive Plan that year, the county updated zoning ordinances in 2002.
Earlier this month the county approved $28,125 to begin the process on August 1.
Brad Newman, director of the Madison County Planning Department, said normally comprehensive plans are updated every 10 years. He added that the current plan has been updated several times.
“The comprehensive plan defines the direction the county intends to go,” Newman said. “It’s a road map for planned development."
The process begins with collecting data on the county’s population, age groups, land use and drainage patterns, he said.
Newman said the Madison County Council of Governments, which developed the 2001 Comprehensive Plan, will be paid monthly for the work, and the first $28,125 will be for the remainder of the year.
It is expected to take 18 to 24 months to complete the new Comprehensive Plan.
“We’re anticipating at least 60 public meetings in Anderson, Elwood, Alexandria, Pendleton and Lapel to get information from the general public,” Newman said. “We will be taking a hard look at Green, Stony Creek and Fall Creek townships because that is where we’re anticipating a lot of development.
“This is the people’s comprehensive plan,” he added. “We want a lot of public participation.”
The first public meetings will likely start in November.
Newman said a yet-to-be-named steering committee will be appointed to oversee the process.
He said members of the Madison County Planning Commission and Board of Zoning Appeals will attend the public meetings in their respective districts. Newman plans to attend all the meetings.
Once completed, the plan must be approved by the Madison County Commissioners through the passage of a resolution.
Newman said once approved the next step is to upgrade the county’s zoning ordinances.
“We want to make this the best plan it can be,” he said.