BY Dave Fopay Staff Writer

CHARLESTON - The Coles County Board will hear reports on the county's strategic plan and a landfill feasibility study at its meeting Tuesday.

The county's Strategic Planning Committee recently drafted goals and objectives in various areas of possible future county development, while the county's consulting engineering firm studied whether a county-owned landfill was feasible.

Joyce Madigan, who chairs the Strategic Planning Committee, said the report will include a recommendation that the board allow the to committee continue to work toward implementing an action plan.

"I think the goal is to have the steering committee stay in force," she said.

The committee recently unveiled the plan at a public meeting where members of subcommittees reported on their various areas: economic and work force development; farmland protection; intergovernmental cooperation; development standards; utilities; transportation; parks, open spaces and cultural resources; and health care.

Madigan said the subcommittee members would also make brief presentations to the board on Tuesday.

"We want the County Board to see that this was done by the citizens of Coles County," she said.

Madigan also said the report is essentially the same as what was presented at the public meeting but a few changes were made to reflect some concerns expressed at that time.

Meanwhile, the engineering firm of Camp, Dresser & McKee recently completed a study which concluded that a county-owned landfill probably isn't economically feasible.

The study said a county-owned 'landfill might be able to operate at costs close to those what a private company might expect, but only under ideal conditions that aren't likely to be in place.

The county's Regional Planning and Development Commission authorized the study recently so the board would have the information when considering the expected application from Allied Waste Industries Inc. to build a new landfill in the county.

Other items scheduled for consideration at Tuesday's meeting include:

The planning and development commission is recommending that the county form the committee, which would have subcommittees to coordinate efforts in government, education, business and other areas.

Commission Executive Director Doug McDermand said the U.S. 'Census Bureau is asking for local help because it doesn't have the funding it once did.

Coles Together Director Jeanne Gustafson said the prospective business is a wholesale and retail automotive distributor, but she didn't want to elaborate because the agreement isn't finalized