County closer to new plan

Published 12:00 pm Tuesday, December 8, 2015

The long-awaited Lafayette County comprehensive plan will have to wait a bit longer.

County engineer Larry Britt announced during Monday’s Lafayette County Board of Supervisors meeting that three RFPs (request for proposals) were received from three different firms to update the county’s comprehensive plan that was created in 2008.

Two of the firms are from Oxford companies — Slaughter & Associates and A2H, PLLC Architects, Engineers and Planners. The third firm that submitted a proposal is Center For Planning Excellence based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The deadline for submission was Dec. 1.

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Britt told the board he would recommend that a committee be formed to review the proposals before one is selected and submitted to supervisors for recommendation at the next board meeting at 5 p.m. on Dec. 21.

“I’ve gone through them and looked at them, but my recommendation is to take them under advisement and my second recommendation is that I think we should form a committee,” Britt said. He suggested a couple supervisors, a couple members of the planning commission, county attorney David O’Donnell, Circuit Clerk Sherry Wall and himself.

The supervisors are looking to revise, develop and implement land use requirements from the comprehensive plan.

Each proposal should include:

• Qualifications and experience, with references, in the areas of land use planning and comprehensive plan development.

• A timeline for accomplishing the update of the 2008 Comprehensive Plan and recommendations on developing and implementing Land Use requirements.

• The Proposal should include the specific work to be accomplished, such as matters relating to updating the Plan and its compilation, formulating recommendations, mapping, developing Land Use regulations, organizing and participating in public meetings and hearings, etc.

• The proposal should include a fee schedule or lump sum dollar amount referencing particular tasks to accomplish all work within the proposed timeline.

• Once a firm is chosen, several public meetings are expected to take place before the comprehensive plan is finalized.

Once a firm has been chosen, several public meetings are expected to take place before the comprehensive plan is finalized.

In other matters, the board:

— Approved two payments of $91,675 and $43,225 to Heritage Builders on county fire station No. 2.

— Approved the Planning Commission recommendation of final commercial plat approval for Dee’s Properties store on Highway 7.

— Authorized the purchase of a 2016 fire truck off the state contract price as opposed to a 2015 fire truck, which is no longer available for an additional $1,200. Fire Coordinator Jerry Johnson said the fire truck will be a four-door.

— Went into executive session to discuss potential litigation and a contractual agreement, but took no action.