Representatives from Arnoldsville, Crawford, Lexington and Maxeys gathered with county officials for the first county comprehensive plan public hearing on Nov. 18.
A comprehensive plan is a 20-year guide to growth and development for Georgia's local governments. Georgia requires comprehensive plans to be updated every five years to help make decisions about land use, transportation, economic development, broadband, infrastructure, community development and more.
Oglethorpe County’s comprehensive plan is due for its five-year update, and public input is vital, said Jeff Sharp, the county’s director of planning, zoning and compliance.
“I would encourage everyone in Oglethorpe County to come to these public hearings,” Sharp said. “If not, we have 10 people making these decisions for 16,000 (people), and that’s not what we want.”
Roughly 15 people attended the meeting, including a handful of county residents.
This public input phase lasts through January. A community survey will be open through mid-January, and officials will hold a public open house in January to discuss the plan, with a date to be set.
The steering committee, which consists of a small group of community members selected by the county and cities, will provide local context and help shape each chapter. They will meet from January to March of next year.
Each city needs to have at least one elected official on the steering committee, with the other committee members being anything from an active community member to a city staff person.
“Each local government gets to pick who they want to represent them on that committee,” said Carol Flaute, senior community planner with the Northeast Georgia Regional Commission.
The Northeast Georgia Regional Commission, which facilitates public meetings, will collect and analyze data and background information and write the plan from March-June of next year.
The steering committee will review plan drafts and provide feedback from June-August, and the plan should be ready for adoption and implementation by Oct. 31, 2026.
“One thing that I will ask you all to think about, those of you who are going to be on the steering committee, is what we can do to make your plan more useful for you,” Flaute said. “I know the last update was pretty brief, and we want to make sure to spend some time doing a quality update for you this time.”