[Editor's Note: This is part 1 of a multi-part article series on the Grant County Commission work session and regular sessions this week on June 13, 3017 and June 15, 2017.]

By Mary Alice Murphy

At an almost three-hour work session on Tuesday, June 13, 2017, commissioners heard a presentation by Aaron Sussman, planner with Bohannon Huston, provider of engineering, spatial data and advanced technologies consulting.

"The last update of your Comprehensive Land Use Plan was in 2004, so it needed updating," Sussman said.

He gave an overview of what the plan includes, according to guidelines from the New Mexico Department of Finance and Administration. "It guides the protections for the land and procedures, as well as the ultimate purposes of the plan. This is a high-level document without a lot of detail. If you can define trends, we can provide policy guidance to support any grant applications you may want to make. It was not an effort to reinvent the plans you already have in place, but to build off them."

Sussman said other plans, including the economic development plan and the regional water plan, informed this plan, "which should be updated every five to seven years. The most effective plans are living documents. This is not a regulatory document. It is a guidance document to connect ideas to strategies. Each planning effort went through its own outreach; this consolidates the plans."

He addressed challenges and said Grant County is not expected to lose population like other rural areas. "There will be an increasing number of seniors, with fewer in the labor force, which impacts housing and transportation. I heard again and again that affordability is an issue relative to incomes, especially for renters. You are likely to see households with more singles and two adults with no children. As home ownership rates decrease, rent is more important."

"Economic development is always important," Sussman said. "You have had excellent plans done that are still valid."

He continued by saying the county clearly has opportunities to diversify, especially in recreational tourism, renewable energy and work force training, as well as the need to encourage young people to stay."

Sussman noted nothing in the land use document discusses zoning. "I came across it in other documents, and the region and Grant County could benefit from guidance on developing a transect plan, with types of public services and infrastructure appropriate by district type and location."

Commissioner Harry Browne noted: "Not all of us consider zoning a bad word. It's kind of like taxes—necessary. The guidance document is important. Future development is advantaged if we consider this plan of value as a guidance plan."

"However, I ask to remove this from the Thursday agenda," Browne said. "We have not had enough public input. I have heard from several constituents that they had not had enough time to review the final draft."

Sussman said the process followed was consistent with state guidelines. "In fact, it exceeded the requirements. I question that the public outreach was not sufficient."

County Economic Development and Planning Director Michael "Mischa" Larisch said the original date was June 2, and it was extended to June 6. "When I applied for the grant, we had one year from the time it was awarded in September. You are recommending we put it out again for two more weeks. Will that give them enough time? They had several weeks already."

Commissioner Alicia Edwards said her comments come from her own observations and significant comments from constituents. "My feedback is that it is not a bad plan, but not a good one either. I think it's an essential document, a roadmap for the county."

"I'm also concerned by who was chosen to do the plan," Edwards continued. "Bohannon Huston has worked on a contract for the Gila Diversion. It is not appropriate to choose someone with this conflict. I compared the plan with those of Luna, Taos and San Miguel counties. Bohannon Huston is an engineering firm. I could find nowhere on its website that it did community planning. I feel we have the obligation to contract with a community planner. We have the obligation to ensure participation in a public planning process. I know how hard that is. We should have held public meetings in every community. I would much rather be able to tell my constituents that the county made every effort, but no one showed up. What I determined is missing is that in housing there are no specifics. A curious lack of detail. I concur with Harry that we need more time. It is incumbent on us to make it the best plan possible. I see our decision as being led by dollars, not by people. We need to have more public input over the next 30 days."

Commission Chairman Brett Kasten said his big question is: "If we were to put it off and have more public input, how much more would the contractor charge. It will cost something for changes. I want the answer Thursday."

The next article will cover energy and bonding available to pay for energy efficiency and renewable upgrades to county facilities.