Laying Out the Plans

    Ford County would benefit from a new agency that would study and implement plans that would help Dodge City, Bucklin, Ford, Wright and Spearville as well as the county as a whole, according to a new strategic plan. The plan recommends creating a countywide organization, including representatives from each governing body as well as certain non-government groups, to address the needs of the county's rural and urban areas. The organization would not have any taxing authority but would have the ability to receive funding from grants and other sources for its work.
    "This organization should aggressively look to develop strategic partnerships with state and regional universities, institutes and agencies not only to build the community knowledge necessary to address the issues of today and tomorrow, but to be a clearinghouse of information for the community at large," the plan said
    The Dodge City Commission will discuss the plan during a study session set for 5 p.m. today at City Hall but is not likely to take action. The Ford County Commission is set to discuss the plan today during its regular 8:30 a.m. meeting.
    City Commissioner Brian Weber said Sunday that he had several questions concerning the plan, and he was eager to discuss it with the people who put it together.
    "I'm looking forward to asking them further questions and making sure we can best utilize their plan," he said.
    ArchitectureDenver, the TSR Group and R Design recently prepared the plan for the Dodge City/Ford County Development Corp. to guide local officials' future decision making. The developers gathered information from a variety of sources, including interviews with Ford County residents, community meetings in Bucklin and Spearville and a meeting with students at Dodge City Community College's Leadership Institute.
    The plan addresses a variety of issues facing the county and its communities, from the need to make sure family-owned farms remain in private hands to the importance of finding qualified buyers for local businesses that are in transition.
    The plan said that communication among units of local government is low and said creating a countywide agency could promote better communication.
    "We recognize that a wide view exists, and that the needs of each of the communities are different," the plan's authors said. "This group is to be the focus so that each municipality can be heard and resources can be allocated to fulfill the requested needs."
    For instance, the plan said, the organization could use grant money to help Ford, Bucklin and Spearville develop and implement new economic strategies.
    Dodge City Mayor Kent Smoll told the Daily Globe that he liked the idea of setting up such an organization.
    "They talked about in there (the plan) bringing in the surrounding communities, like Spearville and Bucklin and Ford," he said. "Which I think would be good, but it's just a matter of finding the time for everybody to sit down and go through it."

    Reach Eric Swanson at (620) 408-9917 or e-mail him at eric.swanson@dodgeglobe.com.