In Jeff Smith’s 17 years on the board of supervisors, the county has never had a comprehensive plan to his knowledge.
It’s high time that changes, the District 4 supervisor said during a board meeting Monday morning at the courthouse.
“This county has evolved. … We cheer the fact that we’ve been very successful as a county,” Smith said. “My fear is we do those things without a plan and we box ourselves in to the point where … we limit ourselves.”
Such a plan would provide a long-term blueprint for tackling the county’s “big ideas” – like how to best upgrade or expand the adult detention center – County Administrator Jay Fisher said. An outside consultant helping develop the plan would also evaluate road, recreation and economic development spending, he said, determining if those line items are taking too much or too little of the county’s resources.
“I think it would be a good thing to have somebody come in with fresh eyes from the outside … and help you guys figure out what some of the larger strategic priorities are,” Fisher said.
Some supervisors aren’t so sure.
District 5 Supervisor Leroy Brooks seemed to favor a more targeted study, rather than a comprehensive plan. The county, for example, could determine what it could invest in adult detention, then bring in a specific consultant on that project.
“I’m always reluctant to bring people in to do studies … then we say we don’t have the money, and now we just have another plan on the shelf,” Brooks said.
Matt Furnari, who represents District 1, said for any comprehensive plan to be effective, the county would need to revisit what goals it had achieved every two years or so and be willing to update the plan when needed.
He and Brooks both cautioned that consultants for such plans can also be expensive.
“There’s a lot of companies out there that will see this as a way to run up a good bill,” Furnari said.
But Smith was undeterred.
He cited a joint study of city and county recreation that was commissioned years after the once combined recreation departments split in 2017. A United States Department of Agriculture grant funded the study that began in February 2024, but by then the county had already opened a $12 million sportsplex off Highway 82 and the city had approved a $4.4 million overhaul of its parks system.
“If we would have had a plan prior to, then that plan would have helped leaders make a better decision about what to do with recreation,” Smith said.
He also referenced business development in the western part of the county, as well as plans to develop more subdivisions in that area.
“It needs to be part of an overall plan,” Smith said. “Otherwise you’re going to have stuff scattered in where it’s going to look like a jigsaw puzzle. … The progressive counties are doing it.”
While supervisors did not vote Monday on the matter, Board President Trip Hairston suggested two supervisors, including Smith, meet with Fisher to develop a more formal pitch. As part of that research process, Hairston recommended contacting other counties that have developed comprehensive plans.
New road manager
On Monday, the board appointed Tyrone Cunningham as the county’s new road manager, setting his salary at $95,000 annually, which is the same rate the county paid his predecessor.
Cunningham replaces Mike Aldridge, who retired Dec. 31.
The board voted in July to make Cunningham the road manager in waiting, training under Aldridge until the end of the year.
Zack Plair is the managing editor for The Dispatch.
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 47 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
