County officials are about half way through a slate of public meetings aimed at gathering feedback about the future of the county.

That process made a stop with municipal officials Wednesday at the Warren County Council of Governments meeting.

County Planner Dan Glotz outlined the assets and issues identified in the first couple public meetings and many aren’t surprising – waterways, recreation, low housing cost, safety and historical heritage among the assets and declining population, loss of housing availability, the need to eliminate an “us vs. them” mindset and, of course, broadband access among the issues.

While the final form of the plan is far from settled, one idea Glotz put on the table is the idea of electric vehicle charging stations.

“(There are) some key areas where we can strategically place some charging stations,” he said. “What are we marketing ourselves?… If we’re trying to get people to come here to spend their dollars, we need to make sure we accommodate them.

“(I) want you folks to think about these things,” Glotz said to the municipal officials.

Glotz acknowledged that blight has come up and that all municipalities are dealing with that problem.

Youngsville Borough Councilman Troy Clawson said they’re seeing empty buildings that used to be businesses now “crumbling,” complicating attempts at re-development.

“(It’s) something that we’re struggling with as a borough,” he said.

Three additional public meetings are currently planned for the county’s planning process including Oct. 13 at the Mead Township Building on US 6 in Clarendon Heights from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.; Oct. 26 at the Columbus VFD Social Hall from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. and Oct. 27 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Youngsville Borough building.