COVINGTON, Ga. — The Newton Chamber of Commerce is proposing to help the county fund a large-scale land use plan in preparation for a possible population surge from new industries moving in to the area in coming years.

Newton County Board of Commissioners members voted Tuesday to expand the duties it will expect from someone answering a Request for Proposals (RFP) it recently issued to find an outside planner to create a regularly scheduled county Comprehensive Plan.

The expanded RFP also will help the Board determine the cost of hiring an outside land use consultant.

Commissioners took the action after Chamber chairman David Kent suggested the county government "take a pause and seek out additional expertise who do that kind of work."

Kent said electric vehicle maker Rivian may not have chosen a location within the county but its 2,000-acre site on the north side of I-20 straddling the line between Walton and Morgan counties will be close enough that it may affect northeast Newton's development for decades.

"We're willing to commit Chamber dollars around land planning and zoning," he said.

The additional work would include creation of a detailed plan for residential, commercial and industrial development in the area — in addition to the information already planned to be included in the Comprehensive Plan, officials said. 

Counties in Georgia are required to submit a Comprehensive Plan to the Georgia Department of Community Affairs to remain eligible for a variety of grants, loans for water and sewer projects, and other funding.

Kent, who is CEO of Piedmont Newton Hospital, told the Board of Commissioners that if Rivian employs 7,500 and all have families, the number of new residents would equal about half the current population of Covington.

He said he did not want to "denigrate" the work done by the county planning staff but it is focused on specific rezoning requests and the work needed was creation of a plan for a large-scale area.

In a Friday, June 10, statement to The News, members of the Newton County Chamber's Board of Directors said comprehensive planning was a "critical need" that they have been focused on for many years — not just recently. 

"The Newton County Chamber of Commerce has a vested interest in long-term development issues and has been on the record since at least 2012," the statement said. "That year, the Chamber brought in Mark Lautman, a renowned proponent for planned development, to address Workforce Development and the critical need for comprehensive planning for future growth. The need still exists and is even more critical today.

"Our continued concern with establishing a plan for growth prompted our letter and appearance before the board just this week. Every day that we are not engaged in developing a long-term view for how this county should grow is a day wasted. The Chamber is putting its money where its mouth is in seeking a financial partnership with the county to obtain necessary professional consultation on growth and development issues."

County Attorney Patrick Jaugstetter, whose law firm represents a number of county governments, said it was "not uncommon" for local governments to hire outside consultants because of the lengthy work that was needed to create an overall plan for an area.

"It will be a time-consuming and expensive proposition," he said.

Chairman Marcello Banes said the cost may be as low as $100,000.  

District 5 Commissioner Ronnie Cowan said the county — with the Chamber's help — should pay for a consultant because "land use is a very complicated matter."

District 2 Commissioner Demond Mason said he would have preferred the Chamber had made it proposal earlier than a few weeks before a new budget year begins.

Kent said "in an ideal world" the Chamber would have made its proposal sooner so the Board could have added any expense needed to hire outside consultants to its 2023 budget.

Mason said he wanted to know a cost and if it would delay a planned July ending to a long moratorium on new submissions of plans for residential construction in Newton County.

Jaugstetter said there was "zero chance" a major plan could be completed by July. It should not have any effect on the moratorium's end, he said.

He added such a major plan needed input from residents and the business community.

Interim County Manager Jarvis Sims said funding for a planning consultant could come from a contingency fund designed for unexpected costs. District 3 Commissioner Alana Sanders said she opposed adding its cost to the 2023 budget.

The Board voted to pledge to work with the Chamber and use funding it provides on any major plans if it decides to move forward.

In other action at the Tuesday, June 7, meeting, the Board approved:

• The Salvation Army’s request for a shift in the kind of household fixed costs for which it is distributing COVID-relief funds. 

Sims said the agency asked the Board to allow it to distribute the $125,000 in the county’s share of federal COVID-relief funds for housing costs instead of utility payments.

“They found that citizens are needing more assistance with mortgages and rentals than utilities,” Sims said.

Jaugstetter said the agency also is not requesting more funding from the county’s part of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) money.

• Three Juvenile Court service provider contracts with Southeastern Psychological Associates and Pemberton Law LLC totaling $116,000 for the 2023 budget year for the Juvenile Behavioral Court and Family Treatment Court.

• Juvenile Court contracts with Pemberton Law LLC and others for its indigent defense program, including three attorneys and court reporter, for $167,000. The cost is included in the Juvenile Court budget.

• Acceptance of 2023 Criminal Justice Coordinating Council (CJCC) grants for the Newton County Adult Drug Court and Superior Court for $262,497 with the county's cost at $35,795; the Juvenile Mental Health Court and Juvenile Court for $99,038 with the county's cost at $14,782; the Newton County Veterans Court and Superior Court for $92,353 with the county's cost at $12,594; the Juvenile Family Treatment Court and Juvenile Court for $72,603 with the county's cost at $9,900; and the Juvenile Mental Health Court for $299,511 and the county's cost at $40,842.

All costs are included in the proposed 2023 county budget.

• Newton County Sheriff’s Office acceptance of supplemental RSAT grant funding for $65,101 through the CJCC with funding provided by the Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance.

• Lisa Feuer as the District 3 representative on the county Library Board.