PICKENS — Pickens County Taxpayers Association officials urge residents to attend the group’s next meeting to learn about the ongoing update of the county’s comprehensive land use plan.

The meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 6 at the Farm Bureau Building on Hwy 178 in, 2.5 miles south of Pickens.

Chris Brink, Director of the county’s Department of Community Development, will speak on the comprehensive plan.

Counties are required to update their comprehensive plan every 10 years, and now’s the time for residents to speak up about property and property rights, said Taxpayers Association President Dennis Reinert.

“This is your time to have input to the regulation of your own property,” Reinert said.

The county’s Development Standards Ordinance must abide by its comprehensive plan, which is why it's important for residents to participate in the process.

“The freedom to own property and to use it as you wish is your right,” Reinert said. “We all need to use our property to live on and to operate our businesses. An adverse ruling by the Planning Commission based on the DSO that refers to the Comprehensive Plan can ruin you.”

To encourage public participation in the comprehensive planning process, the county has created a survey about the update, which can be accessed at www.2030pickenscounty.com or by visiting the 2030 Pickens County Public Reference room at the administration building on McDaniel Avenue.

County planning staff will also hold two open house meetings so that residents can get more information on the Comprehensive Plan and its importance.

The first Open House will be held 4 p.m. – 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 20 in the auditorium of the administration building in Pickens.

The second will be held 4 p.m. – 6 p.m. Thursday, April 29 at the Hampton Memorial Library in Easley.