TABLE OF CONTENTS

Planning

Bartow County recognizes planning is essential to providing effective services to its citizens and maintaining a positive environment for a good quality of life. The Growth Management Plan of 1997 recognized the growth trends in Bartow County over a 50-year planning period which has enabled the county to manage rapid growth in the unincorporated areas of the county.

The goals of the Growth Management Plan were to establish a long-term vision of Bartow County reflecting the desires of the current residents and the prospects for future development, to encourage public participation in the plan, to formulate policies for infrastructure management, to evaluate electronic technology options available to the Bartow County government and to monitor and evaluate the plan to update and expand the program when needed.

The Bartow County Strategic Plan of 2001 serves as a countywide plan to set goals and objectives for various future needs and to determine a plan of action to achieve those goals. The strategic plan addresses the following subjects – population growth, land use, natural and historic resources, economic development, community facilities and services (water/sewer, public safety, transportation, education, social services, solid waste and general government) and housing. The plan was created with the help of the A.L. Burruss Institute of Public Service at Kennesaw State University, Bartow County School System, Cartersville City Schools, the cities of Cartersville, Emerson, Euharlee, Adairsville, Kingston and White, the Coosa Valley Regional Development Center and the Cartersville/Bartow County Chamber of Commerce.

The Bartow County Transportation Plan of 2002 was developed to address the county’s transportation challenges in the face of substantial population, employment and travel growth, as well as air quality concerns. Along with identifying needed road expansion projects, the plan had four goals in mind:

·        Provide accessibility and mobility of people and goods.

·        Support the attainment of air quality in conjunction with neighboring counties.

·        Integrate land use decisions with transportation analysis and planning.

.        Improve the environment and quality of life.