By ALEXANDER SIMONE

Staff writer

Peabody’s comprehensive plan, as well planning and zoning regulations, need to be updated, but the value of a new study would be minimized by doing it now, mayor Tom Spencer said at Monday’s city council meeting.

“Seeing as they’re doing a census next year, does it make sense to do that now when the census data will be out of date in two years,” he said.

The city’s comprehensive plan providing housing and transportation guidelines would be based on 2010’s census, but the next census will negate that data.

Peabody agreed to pay two installments of $7,500 a few years ago for a comprehensive plan and new zoning regulations but an invoice was never sent from the company. The other half was taken out of the economic development budget, but the work was never completed.

Getting the regulations updated sooner rather than later is important, but cost is another factor that needs consideration, councilman Lindsey Hutchison said.

“I think we absolutely need to get that taken care of because we don’t have any of those regulations, but now we also don’t have any money in the economic development budget,” she said. “We have a little for next year, but not much.”

Since Peabody doesn’t have updated regulations, it would be best to avoid using the current ones when creating ordinances to ensure the city doesn’t misstep, councilman Rick Reynolds said.

“At this point, it would make the most sense to rely on state regulations and ordinances versus trying to use what we have,” he said.

League of Kansas Municipalities last year suggested using state regulations as well, Hutchison said.

After the past few months with Lucas Larson serving as interim public works supervisor, Larsen was named permanent supervisor.

“I think he’s done a great job, he’s really stuck in there,” Rick said. “He’s trying, and I think we ought to give him a go.”

In addition to Larsen’s new title, new full-time public works positions were approved for Allen McLaughlin and Scott Smith.

Slow down signs will be placed downtown 9 a.m. Dec. 7 for Come Home for Christmas, with the area barricaded to traffic 4 to 7 p.m.