County News

Jane Halliburton, a member of the board of supervisors of Story County, Iowa, discusses a community process for smart growth at a roundtable July 18.

Whether you call it smart growth, growth management or land-use planning, decisions concerning how and where a community will grow are among the most contentious a local elected official will make in his or her political career. This was affirmed by the large crowd in the Annual Conference session, Building Collaborations for Smarter Growth: A County Environmental Fair.

The theme of this special three-hour session involved gaining support from a wide range of constituents for development patterns that will meet a county’s future economic, social and environmental needs.

"It is becoming increasingly obvious," stated Terry Kauffman, vice-chair, Lancaster Co., Pa., Board of Commissioners and moderator of the session, "that decisions concerning growth cannot be made in a vacuum. Development choices pursued in one neighborhood or municipality, directly affect the quality of life in another."

"Individuals previously rooted in opposing arguments, must now be brought together. Only through discussion, joint planning and collaborative problem solving can a county gain community support for a growth and development plan that will meet the future needs of their region."

A diverse group of experts, representing the building industry, realtors, land conservation organizations, nonprofit groups and elected county officials and planners, explored how county officials can forge effective partnerships with members of these groups to push forward positive development patterns.

Wayne Freeman, executive director of the Great Rivers Land Trust in Godfrey, Ill., for example, emphasized the value that organizations such as his could bring to the table. By using land trusts, he asserted, counties could protect valuable acreage and natural resources, such as watersheds and drinking water recharge areas, that will provide significant benefit into the future. Freeman said there are more than 1,200 land trust organizations in the United States that could be of assistance to counties.

Jane Halliburton, supervisor, Story County, Iowa and Kent Newman, executive director, Wallace Family Foundation, spoke about the use of "study circles" to facilitate community dialogue on important growth issues in the area.

Rich Brown, executive vice president, Building Association of Lancaster County and Christine Corrado Windle, of the National Association of Realtors stated that a growing number of private sector developers and realtors are interested in working cooperatively with county officials to achieve predictable and stable development decisions.

Additional panelists included Doug Goddard, executive director of the Tennessee County Services Association, who spoke about advancing county land-use interests, and Kevin Kesterson, chair of the Dane County, Wis. Board of Supervisors, who described the county’s $30 million initiative for the purchase of open space.

A new publication produced by NACo’s Joint Center for Sustainable Communities, Growing Together: City/County Smart Growth Profiles, was showcased at the conference session. This features six profiles of counties and cities that are taking significant steps to partner with their neighboring jurisdiction to resolve mutual land-use problems.

To receive a copy of the publication, call 800/696-1667 or e-mail nkeller@naco.org. For more information on the County Environmental Fair, contact Naomi Friedman, nfriedma@naco.org or 202/942-4262.