Introduction

Ward County is requesting proposals from qualified consultants to provide professional planning services for the development of a comprehensive plan and for updating its zoning ordinances. The previous 1974 Comprehensive Plan was replaced in 1994 without much detail. An up to date Comprehensive Plan is needed to ensure the County is planning for its future and the growth of its cities within. The county has decided an update to its comprehensive plan is the next step to ensure its response to development questions are consistent and are in the best interests of the citizens of Ward County.

Due to an increased amount of development in rural areas, there is a need to work on a new comprehensive plan that addresses rural non-farm development. It may seem contradictory to update the plan while simultaneously addressing basic land use questions, however, the County needs to ensure development can proceed unimpeded by current ordinances. The County believes this can be accomplished in a timely manner.

Ward County is seeking a consultant who can provide the skills necessary to accomplish the task at hand. The successful firm will be able to complete a comprehensive plan following accepted planning practices and at the same time offer planning services associated with roads and land development to the County and its townships. The County has felt the pressures of development in the past and will likely again in the future and hopes these two processes can proceed under one planning effort in tandem, rather than sequentially.

All applicants meeting the submittal deadline will receive consideration. Selection will be based on the selection criteria contained in this request document. The three most qualified candidates may be requested to interview with Ward County officials.

General Background

Ward County, ND was created by the 1885 Dakota Territory legislature and named for Mark Ward, chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Counties during the session. The county government was first organized on November 23, 1885 with Burlington as the county seat, until it was changed to Minot in 1888. Until 1908, Ward County included what is now Burke, Mountrail, and Renville counties. The landmass was often referred to as 'Imperial Ward' County but voters decided to partition the county into the 4 smaller counties. The County is now comprised of 57 Townships, of which, 16 have their own zoning and there are 12 Cities that also have their own zoning.

Ward County is located in the north central part of the state and is the fifth largest county in North Dakota by land area. According to the US Census, the county has a total area of 2,056 square miles of which 43 square miles is water. Much of the county is flat to rolling hills. Ward County has 7 major highways running through it as well as three national wildlife refuges. In addition, the County is home to Minot Air Force Base. The Base is home to two legs of the Nuclear Triad, B-52 Bombers and Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBM). There are a total of 15 Launch Command Centers (LCCs) and 150 ICBM silos, known as Launch Faculties (LFs) associated with the Base. Of the aforementioned there are 4 LCCs and 30 LFs within Ward County.

The most recent American Community Survey estimate for 2015 was 71,275. The 2010 Census only counted 61,675 showing that the County is in a growth mode once again.

The County operates under a Home Rule Charter with a 5-member board known as the County Commission. Recently because of the statewide growth, Ward County has been affected by a multitude of challenges. Because of these challenges, the Ward County Commissioners authorized County staff to begin the process of updating both the Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Ordinances.

As stated in the 1994 Comprehensive Plan, the plan will be developed in accordance with Chapter 11-33 of the ND Century Code, establishing the general policies for the use of land located within the boundaries of Ward County except in the areas within the zoning jurisdiction of any incorporated city. It will reflect the values and desires of the County's residents and its purpose is to promote the health, safety, morals, public convenience, general prosperity, and welfare of its people and preservation of its natural resources. It will be the intention of this plan to establish goals, objectives and policies to enable development to occur in a planned, deliberate environment.

As stated previously 16 Townships have their own zoning, and the others may choose to adopt their own. This Plan will be able to supplement and/or compliment township zoning regulations, not replace them. The plan will also provide the County with guidance in acting upon proposed subdivisions throughout the County.

The County Commissioners and County Staff are committed to implementing a plan that:

1. Engages citizens, elected officials, stakeholders and adjacent jurisdictions such as Souris River Joint Board and Souris Basin Planning Council to provide a vision that is reflective of their needs.
2. Recognizes the need for a good transportation system that focuses its funding and efforts on roadways that provide the greatest mobility for its citizens.
3. Addresses development around the jurisdiction of municipalities within the County to ensure positive transition.
4. Serves as a foundation to effectively manage growth and protects property rights of individuals affected by those impacts.
5. Provides both policy guidance and legal support for amendments to zoning and subdivision regulations.
6. Conforms to the requirements stated in Chapter 11-33 of the ND Century Code.

Scope of Work

The proposed scope of work for this planning effort is provided below in general terms. It will be the responsibility of each applicant to understand the scope of work and to consider it in their response to this RFP.

1. Citizen participation plan designating the ways in which the citizens of Ward County will receive notice of plan activities and the way their input for the plan will be sought across the entire County. The final public engagement plan will be negotiated between Ward County and the selected consultant during the contracting process.
2. Existing condition survey to include a general land use inventory, zoning jurisdiction and mapping designations, topographic information for the entire county, floodplain and floodway maps, natural features, publicly owned land, roadway volumes and proposals, rail locations by service entity, utility corridors, corporate boundaries of political subdivisions and other significant information about the existing environment. This data will inform the policies and strategies of the comprehensive plan.
3. A summary of existing demographic and economic characteristics of Ward County and population, household and employment growth projections out to 2040.
4. Identification of locations that are growing and their prospects for future growth in the County. This discussion should include an analysis of the supply, demand and location in the County for agricultural, residential, commercial and industrial land development. This discussion should also include a quantified analysis of land types needed to meet the needs of the County's population and employment growth over the next ten years.
5. An analysis of infrastructure needed to cope with the growth projected for the County over the next ten years. This analysis will include the existence of rural water and sewer districts and any plans for their future expansion as well as roadway improvement and roadway system preservation plans.
6. Identify policy and/or regulatory measures needed to clarify requirements for future subdivisions and development, including access management guidelines/standards, public right-of-way dedication, easements, storm water management plans, etc.
7. Goals and policies to be used in evaluating future development proposals and identification of strategies that will aid the County in evaluating future proposals involving land use and infrastructure expansion. These policies will form a vision for the County going into the future.
8. The new comprehensive plan will include a future land use plan and suggested locations or locational characteristics for future uses. The future land use plan will also include road and utility enhancements considered likely to occur as well as floodplain and other barriers to development identified in the existing condition survey. The content of this plan will be based on public, stakeholder and agency input during the planning process.

Deliverables

1. Draft and final comprehensive plan, including implementation of an agreed upon public engagement plan during plan development and adoption.
2. Prior to a complete update of the zoning ordinance, a short-term completion of zoning ordinance updates to address immediate, short term needs, including, but not limited to draft and final ordinance language that establishes minimum right of way dedication required for streets within and adjacent to subdivision plats for rural non-farm development.
3. Draft and final update of Ward County's zoning ordinances and implementation of an agreed upon public engagement/stakeholder input plan during ordinance development and adoption.

Scheduling

Proposals should include a proposed schedule showing major milestones for project completion, key public involvement events, and completion of draft and final deliverables.

Generally, it is Ward County's desire to complete:

• A draft comprehensive plan by September of 2018 with plan adoption in late 2018 or early 2019,
• Draft ordinances for interim, short term needs within the first three months of the contract,
• Draft of zoning ordinance update by summer of 2019 with adoption by the end of the year, and
• Any further follow-up or addressing of issues in 2020, if necessary.

Evaluation Criteria

The selection committee for this project (yet to be named) will utilize the following weighted criteria in considering the responses to this RFP and selecting the best firm for this work:

20% — Understanding of Project

15% — Past experience with similar projects

15% — Public input and information approach

15% — Key staff qualifications to conduct a plan of this type based on past experience

15% — Knowledge of local events and situations

10% — Firm workload

10% — Budget

All proposals, whether rejected or accepted, are the property of the County. The County may waive any irregularity or it may reject any or all RFP responses without explanation. The County may withdraw the RFP at any time and need not select a consultant for award of this study. All proposal responses must be signed by a company official who has the ability to bind the company and dated.

Format

The proposal shall be presented in the following format:

1. Cover Letter
2. Table of Contents
3. Project Understanding
4. Proposed Work Plan
5. Project Schedule
6. Description of Firm(s)
7. Qualifications of Firm(s)
8. Qualifications and Experience of Assigned Personnel
9. Relevant Experience
10. References
11. Provide estimated cost by task and overall budget. The maximum amount available per year is as follows:

2018 — $100,000
2019 — $100,000
2020 — $25,000- $100,000

Proposal Submittal Requirements

All proposals are due at the Ward County Highway Department by 12:00 pm on December 11, 2017 and should be addressed to the attention of Nancy Simpson, Planning and Zoning Administrator. A PDF should be emailed to nancy.simpson@wardnd.com and six hard copies should be mailed to P.O. Box 5005 Minot ND, 58702 or hand delivered to 900 13^th St SE, Minot ND 58701. Interviews will be held Tuesday January 9^th between 9am and 11am.