Treutlen County and City of Soperton Announce First Public Hearing for Joint Comprehensive Plan

The Treutlen County Board of Commissioners announced the first public hearing regarding the joint comprehensive plan with the city of Soperton will be held on Thursday, Feb. 19, at 5 p.m. in the Treutlen County Public Library.

During the hearing, Treutlen County residents will have the opportunity to speak to members of the First Steering Committee, featuring members of both the Treutlen County and Soperton City governments, and offer suggestions or concerns which can be implemented into the comprehensive plan.

“We really do hope there will be a lot of public participation,” said County Clerk Angie Hooks. “We want that. We want the public’s input because we are doing it for our public.”

Comprehensive plans are guides created by county and city officials outlining the strengths, weaknesses and goals of a community for a five-year period. 

“We have a 20 year goal,” said Hooks. “It’s where we want to be in 20 years, but every five years, we try to update it, or make changes or whatever, and it’s just a way to see what are the needs of the county and the city to help us grow and flourish.”

Strengths for Treutlen County, Hooks said, include access to the Oconee River and Interstate 16, while weaknesses include political support. Goals include economic development and community safety.

After the end of the five-year period, officials must reconvene and develop a new plan for the next five years. If any goals were not met during the five-year period, they may be rolled over into the next comprehensive plan.

County and city governments do not necessarily need to agree on every concern nor desire all the same outcomes to form a comprehensive plan. However, according to Soperton Mayor John Koon, “almost 90% of the ideas” presented during the steering committee’s first meeting on Jan. 22 were in agreement.

Major areas of agreement include a focus on infrastructure, particularly water and sewer lines; development towards the nearby interstate and support for emergency services. One proposed project will see the construction of a joint municipal building to house local police, fire, EMA and ambulance services. 

The county aims to provide the local fire department with a new firefighting vehicle each year. County officials will also seek to renovate and maintain the local airport, which has been a topic of discussion in several Board of Commissioner meetings.

The city will pursue affordable housing and vet incoming industry, alongside currently ongoing projects such as the renovations of the recreation department.

“It was good before,” said Koon in reference to the recreation department project. “We’re going to make it better.”

The first public hearing will follow the steering committee’s second meeting held the same day at 2 p.m. According to the proposed timetable, the committee will have at least two more meetings on March 19 and April 16, along with a community drop-in session on March 19.

The comprehensive plan will enter the drafting phase between April and July, with a final steering committee meeting and public hearing to be held in July or August. No dates have been set for these meetings, but they will be held in the Treutlen County Public Library.