CONNEAUT — A plan to make low-cost planning expertise available to every Ashtabula County community has its first convert.
Conneaut City Council this week approved a resolution of support for the Intra-Ashtabula County Regional Planning Corroboration and Association. The group would use the planning talents of people already in place and possibly those of people in adjoining counties.
“I’m happy to see Conneaut is in favor (of the concept),” Peggy Carlo, Ashtabula County Board of Commissioners’ president, said Tuesday.
The program is before commissioners, who are trying to enlist the support of Lake County and adjacent areas.
“It’s an opportunity to utilize the resources in the community,” Carlo said. “It’s an opportunity to look at regionalism.”
Conneaut council is intrigued because the organization could help the city revamp its zoning code without the need of expensive consultants. The city has kicked around a major overhaul of the code and recently decided the task would be too much for local talent. Instead of hiring a high-priced consultant, Conneaut could confer with the planning corroboration and use the planning experts on its roster.
“Conneaut’s zoning code could be their first project,” Law Director Lori Lamer said Monday night.
Participating communities probably would pay a membership fee based on population. In Conneaut’s case, the cost would be a few thousand dollars for planning/ zoning service, a steal compared with the price of consultants, Lamer said.
“It’s really a bargain,” she said. “I don’t think we can pass it up.”
The corroboration also could give the area a little more leverage to secure government grants and funding, said City Manager Robert Schaumleffel Jr. Regionalized programs find favor when the time comes to hand out money, he said.
“It would give us a little more clout,” Schaumleffel said. “We would be in a much stronger position and could compete (with other parts of the state).”
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