The county’s municipalities are on the front line of smart growth trying to preserve their community character while responding to new development. The Planning Commission has a lot of resources to help, including our “planning toolbox” which provides eTools covering a wide array of planning topics from natural resources to economic development.

The eTools are an easy read, providing a quick overview of each topic, a brief explanation of how it works, and considerations in addressing the topic or regulating the use. Examples of what other municipalities are doing and links to additional resources are also provided. The eTools are intended for municipal officials, consultants, and anyone interested in a particular topic.

We are in the process of updating all of the eTools and reformatting them to be more user friendly. We are also adding many new ones addressing topics that were not on our radar a few years back, such as Short-term Rentals (Airbnb) and Mini-homes.

An alphabetical index of the eTools is available through our Municipal Corner under Planning Guides & Tools. You can also view them by planning topic. Stay tuned as we will be featuring a set of tools each month over the coming year.