County, municipalities begin five-year plan update

Kevin C. Hall |, The Moultrie Observer, Ga.
·2 min read

Jun. 10—MOULTRIE, Ga. — Local governments from around the county took the first step Wednesday to update their five-year plan.

The plan is prepared by the Southwest Georgia Regional Commission with input from the county and its municipalities. It lays out goals, needs and opportunities the communities expect to face and how they'll prepare or react to them over the following five years.

The current version of the plan is available at swgrcplanning.org. Scroll to Local Plans and Documents at the top of the page; when the drop-down menu appears, click on Comprehensive Plans. A new page will appear with a list of area counties; click on Colquitt County to read its plan.

On Wednesday evening, representatives of the governments of Colquitt County and the cities of Moultrie, Funston, Ellenton and Doerun attended a public hearing at the Colquitt County Courthouse Annex.

Kay Olubowale, a planner with the Southwest Georgia Regional Commission, explained the process they were embarking on. Olubowale was standing in for his colleague, Kimberly Brooks, who was unable to attend.

He said Brooks will examine the existing five-year plan, which runs 2018-2022. Then she'll reach out to each government with questions about the progress of projects in that plan.

The governments will respond to those questions, and Brooks will use that information to update the plan.

The updated plan will be presented to each of the governments, and another public hearing will be held so residents can respond to it. The governments may make changes based on the public's input.

After the county and municipalities agree on the draft, the Southwest Georgia Regional Commission will seek comment from surrounding communities that might be affected by things in Colquitt County's plan. If those communities have no problem with it, it will be forwarded to the state Department of Community Affairs for approval.

The DCA can take 60 days to review the plan.

Olubowale could not say how long the process would take because much depends on how quickly the county and municipal governments can get answers to questions about projects' progress.

The plan is essential for local governments to qualify for federal and state grants, Olubowale said.