Be Proactive: Implement Your Plan

Jenny EricksonSauk County UW-Extension

Community Resource Development Educator

Sauk County Plan Commission WorkshopNovember 28, 2007

Where is Your Plan?

Does this look familiar?

Dust it off &

Start taking action!!

Where Are We at in the Planning Process?

Plan Commission Handbook, May 2002

A Plan is only as good as it’s implementation!

No Problem, Implementation Section

Start with Your Vision.. A vision is an end state. It is what you want to look like in 20 years. It should help to guide your decision making process.

Picture it…

Over the next 20 years, the predominant visual character of Honey Creek will be a scenic rural landscape of heavily forested bluffs towering over broad fertile valleys and well maintained family farms…

Town of Honey Creek Vision…

Town of Honey Creek Vision…

Now that you know where you are going. What steps Do you need to take to get there?

Look for Clues in Your Vision Statements

1. Preserve and enhance diverse natural resources

2. Preserve and enhance rural, historical and agrarian character

3. Encourage new development that is complimentary with town character

Where to Start??

Objectives

Objectives suggest future directions in a way that is more specific than goals.

ARO-1: Maintain, modernize and enhance a strong agricultural infrastructure in the Town and surrounding region.

ARO –4: Research, provide information, and encourage alternative economic opportunities that would enhance or supplement agriculture as an occupation.

Life After Objectives…-POLICIES-

Policies are rules, courses of action, or programs used to ensure Plan implementation and to accomplish the goals and objectives.

ARP-2: Allow cottage industries and home occupations in the Township that would enhance agriculture-related business.

-Fitting it All Together-1.)

-Fitting it All Together-

3.) Some communities have just identified policies and that is okay too.

2.)

• Brainstorm specific action steps that will effectively and efficiently implement your policies and/or recommended actions.

-Bite Sized Actions-

NRCP3 – Enhance wildlife habitat by encouraging landowners to develop wildlife sanctuaries, windbreaks…

Get creative… Who else cares about this? Who else benefits from this?? How can we work together?• •

• Combine any similar actions.

• Chose the action steps that will work the best for your community by…

• Using criteria..

• Voting..

• Double checking..

BE REALISTIC TO AVOID BURNOUT!

-Bite Sized Actions-

Develop Your Action PlanAction Steps Timeline Responsible

PartiesResearch financial incentives utilized by other communities.

June 2006 Fred Smith and Jody Kline

Contact UWEX office about educational materials on the benefits of windbreaks.

Sept 2006 Windbreak Committee

Develop tax incentive program for wildlife habitat.

Sept 2006 Jane Lyons and Judy Ferris

Distribute windbreak brochures and outline incentives in tax bill.

Dec 2006 Windbreak Committee

How Will You Know When You Get There??

• Define success.

• How will you measure it? Keep track.

Three new windbreaks will be planted in 2007 as a result of the new incentive program.

All new driveways installed will satisfied the safetyand habitat fragmentation standards outlined in the Plan.

OR

Keys to Making Good Decisions

• Brainstorm – every idea is a good one.

• Organize and combine ideas

• Prioritize based on criteria

• Carry out the plan

• Evaluate how you are doing

TAKE THE TIME TO FIND THE BEST IDEAS NOT JUST THE FIRST

IDEAS!

A Few Final Thoughts..

DON’T REINVENT THE WHEEL

PARTNER WITH YOUR NEIGHBORS

DO SOMETHING!!• This is a big plan and it will take time so…

• Get the ball rolling…

• Make Progress…

• Have fun and…

• Celebrate your successes along the way!

!

Goals are broad, advisory statements that express general public priorities about how the Town should approach preservation and development issues.

Preserve our farmland and enhance the strong farm community that creates a socio-economic environment, which supports agricultural opportunities to ensure agri-business as a viable career choice.

So You Have a Ton of Objectives, Now What?

• Take some time to discuss with your group what objectives would be best – maybe it is obvious.

• Work as a group to determine criteria to help you decide which objective is best.

• Maybe it is a matter of voting?

• Discuss if the “winner” really is the best option for your community.

• Get outside input?