The public is invited to give feedback on the city of Cumming.

A survey was recently posted on the city’s Web site, where folks can share input on a number of issues.

Scott Morgan, director of planning and zoning, said the survey is part of the city’s comprehensive plan process.

He explained under state regulations city and counties must complete partial updates of their comprehensive plans every five years and full updates every 10 years.

“That’s very important for cities and counties,” he said. “It’s something we have to do in order to qualify for grants and loans from the Department of Community Affairs.”

The plan provides a guide to maintain the community’s vision. The update will cover the years 2012-32.

Forsyth County is also working on an update to its comprehensive plan. Officials have held various workshops and meetings throughout the year.

In previous comprehensive planning cycles, Morgan said city leaders have gathered community feedback through mailed or door-to-door surveys. This is the first time for an online survey.

“We felt the Internet is a very good tool to use now since people are online so much,” he said. “We thought we’d be able to get a much better response this way.”

According to Morgan, the feedback will be used several ways in the comprehensive plan.

“The ideas will help us see where we need to put emphasis,” he said. “For example, when we’re talking about housing development and future commercial development, we want to know if people think we need more affordable options or what other directions we might need go in.”

The survey will be up at least through the end of the year.

“We want to have plenty time for people to fill out the forms,” Morgan said. “We just have to time to gather all that information and incorporate into our plan.”

The city’s comprehensive plan update must be turned into the state by June 30.