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Comprehensive
Planning:
Ready, Set, Go?
By Rebecca Vander
Kelen, Project Planner
| In
response to the comprehensive planning law passed in 1999, over 500
communities throughout Wisconsin have started or completed
comprehensive planning projects1. Roughly three-quarters
of the State�s remaining communities will contemplate similar
planning processes by the year 20102. This
article is aimed at communities considering comprehensive
planning. It presents a two-part strategy to help communities
initiate a planning process. Community leaders are asked to take the
preliminary steps by determining the need for planning, assessing
the scope and feasibility of the project, building capacity,
enlisting community support, forming a planning committee and
developing a communication process. An article in the next edition
of the Land Use Tracker will describe the remaining tasks necessary
to prepare for comprehensive planning, including designing the
planning process, writing
a public participation and education plan, |
| financing the project,
and securing a written commitment from local units of government to
plan cooperatively.
The figure at right illustrates a
general process a community may use to initiate a comprehensive
planning project.
Are
You Ready?
In many
communities, a few key individuals are responsible for initiating a
planning process. They provide impetus and leadership for getting a
project off the ground, enlist the skills, resources and support of
the community-at-large, help organize and design the project, and
ensure momentum throughout the process. Trusted community leaders,
including citizens, government officials, county or municipal
planners, and local Extension educators are likely to fill these
roles. These individuals are responsible for determining the need
for planning, assessing the scope and feasibility of the project,
enlisting preliminary support from communities, and forming a
planning committee. The role of community leaders at this stage is
critical. |
Are
you ready?
|
|
|
|
Get Set�
-
Design
the planning process
-
Design
a public participation and education process
-
Finance
the process
-
Obtain
a written commitment from local units of government to plan
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|
|
Go!
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Determine
the need for planning
The first task of community leaders is to establish and document the need
for planning. There are many reasons a community might be motivated to
plan. A primary impetus may be the new comprehensive planning law. This
law requires that communities making land use decisions after January 1,
2010 do so consistent with an adopted comprehensive plan. Communities may
also wish to plan in order to update or amend out-of-date or inconsistent
planning documents. This need may be determined by evaluating the content
and effectiveness of existing plans and implementation tools. Finally,
communities may be motivated to plan to address pressing local issues,
such as the loss of farmland, the siting of special facilities (i.e.,
communication towers or large-scale agricultural operations), or unmanaged
or undesirable growth and change. After establishing the need for
planning, a community should weigh the costs and benefits of planning. If
planning is the desired solution, a community should draft a purpose
statement articulating its need for planning. Though likely to be
revisited and revised throughout the process, this statement will serve to
justify and guide future planning efforts.
Assess
the scope and feasibility of the project
After determining that planning is the desired outcome, community leaders
must identify the relative scope of the planning project and the ability
of the community to complete it. At this stage, communities should define
the geographic boundaries of the effort and identify potential involvement
of local units of government. A comprehensive planning project may be
completed by a single jurisdiction or by a group of communities working
together. In light of the communities involved, it is necessary to
anticipate likely issues and problems, and the skills, resources and
support necessary and available to complete the project. A typical
comprehensive planning project requires the following physical, financial,
political, technical, educational, and skill-based capacities:
-
Meeting space,
equipment & materials
-
Adequate and
timely financing
-
Community and
political support
-
Staff &
volunteer time and commitment
-
Local knowledge
-
Technical
expertise or support
-
Legal expertise
or support
-
Educational
support
-
Leadership
-
Meeting
management
-
Group
facilitation and mediation
-
Teamwork and
networking skills
-
Written and
oral communication skills
-
Data and
technology management
-
Fundraising or
grant writing skills
-
Fiscal and
grant management
Build
capacity for planning
Before initiating a planning process, community leaders must thoroughly
review and understand the capacity of their community to plan. Despite a
law and significant monetary incentives prompting communities to plan, it
may be inappropriate to proceed with planning if major capacities are
lacking or the community is unsupportive. These factors, however, should
not discourage a community from planning altogether. In fact, it may be
appropriate to delay a planning process to build capacity, or to go ahead
with planning recognizing that particular skills, resources and support
systems must be cultivated during the process. It is the role of the
project leader to identify and build this capacity.
To accomplish this
task, communities may use a variety of capacity building techniques, such
as education, skills training, leadership development, and grant writing.
A number of external support systems are also available to provide
educational, technical and financial assistance. The University of
Wisconsin-Extension county offices, Center for Land Use Education, and
Local Government Center are available to provide general technical and
educational assistance to communities. Technical and financial support
related to specific topics is available from the Wisconsin Department of
Natural Resources (DNR), Department of Transportation (DOT) and Department
of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP). Assistance may also
be obtained from a variety of federal agencies, such as the U.S. Fish
& Wildlife Service, USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service,
USDA-Forest Service, and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Local data and mapping needs are best met with the assistance of Regional
Planning Commissions, the Department of Administration-Demographic
Services Center, UW-Madison Applied Population Lab, Wisconsin Agricultural
Statistics Service, and county Land Information Offices.
Enlist
community support
After establishing the need for and capacity of a community to undertake a
planning project, project leaders are ready to recruit the preliminary
support of local communities. Open meetings  should be held in each
community to discuss the comprehensive planning law, the need for
planning, and the scope and preliminary budget of the proposed project.
Communities should be presented with a range of options, including the
opportunity to plan as a single jurisdiction, together with other
jurisdictions, or not to plan at all. The implications of these choices
should be discussed, after which communities should decide how and if they
would like to participate. At this point, communities are only required to
make a preliminary commitment to explore the possibility of planning. They
will later be asked to solidify this commitment by signing a formal
contract and resolution committing to plan. These steps should only be
completed after communities have been presented with or have helped to
develop a planning process and budget that is agreed upon by all parties
involved.
Form
a planning committee
After soliciting community support, it is appropriate to create a planning
committee that will be responsible for designing and recommending a
planning process to the appropriate governing bodies. This committee may
include a mix of local government officials and/or citizen
representatives. Local communities should decide on the number of
representatives and the criteria by which they will be chosen. Other
communities in Wisconsin have used a variety of approaches. Some have
solicited or appointed representatives based on a range of local
interests, while others have selected members to represent participating
units of government or specific geographic regions. These regions have
been based on a variety of criteria, including political boundaries, land
area, population, natural resource or geographic features, and urban and
rural characteristics. The final composition of the committee should be
satisfactory to the communities and governing bodies represented.
Committee
members should be introduced to their new position by reviewing the
project�s purpose statement, discussing their roles and
responsibilities, and learning about relevant planning issues.
Specifically, committee members may wish to review the comprehensive
planning law, experiences of other communities, and principles and
practices of comprehensive planning and local government functioning.
Knowledge of these issues will prepare committee members to field
questions and make informed decisions on behalf of residents and
government officials. The committee should also adopt operating rules,
such as meeting dates, times, frequency, location and conduct of meetings,
and appoint committee leadership, including a chair and secretary. To
manage large committees or time constraints, working groups or
subcommittees may be appointed that are responsible for completing
specific tasks and reporting back to the committee for approval.
Ensure
open and ongoing communication
Developing an initial communication process is essential for a successful
planning project. It is required to bridge the gap between ongoing
development of the planning project and the community�s understanding
and awareness of it. Ultimately, a well-crafted communication process may
spell the difference between a successful planning project and one that
has been rejected by community members because they were unfamiliar with
it, did not understand it, or did not trust it. The communication process
also provides the foundation upon which a public participation and
education process will be developed.
A thorough
communication process should identify who needs to provide or receive
project information, how that information will be exchanged, and when. For
example, a communication process should identify how information will be
passed between multiple levels of government, government officials, the
planning committee and local citizens. A variety of methods for doing so
should be identified, such as mailings, newsletters, a website, or direct
attendance at meetings. The timeliness of that exchange is also critical.
For example, a community may specify that notice and materials for
meetings be provided at least one week in advance of meetings, and that
meeting minutes be provided at least one week after. When designing this
process it is important to consider legal requirements. Wisconsin�s Open
Meeting Law requires that meetings of governmental bodies (including those
of committees) be open and accessible to the public and be preceded by a
public notice. This notice is to be provided at least 24 hours in advance
and include the time, date, place and subject matter of the meeting.
Taking the
Next Step�
This article
has laid out a strategy for community leaders and citizen representatives
to initiate a comprehensive planning project. In this approach, community
leaders are responsible for determining the need for planning, assessing
the scope and feasibility of the project, building capacity, and enlisting
the support of participating communities. The formation of a planning
committee and an open communication process are also discussed in light of
the remaining tasks necessary to initiate a planning project. These tasks,
which will be discussed in the next edition of the Land Use Tracker,
include designing the planning process, proposing a public participation
and education process, financing the project, and securing a written
commitment from local units of government to plan. Additional information
related to each of these steps will also appear on the Center for Land Use
Education website: www.uwsp.edu/cnr/landcenter/landproject/landproject.html.
Mark
Hilliker, Community Resource Development Educator, Portage County, Ken
Jaworski, Foth & VanDyke and Associates, Inc. (consulting firm from
Green Bay), Anna Haines and Mike Dresen have reviewed this article for
form and content. Any errors, mistakes and omissions remain the
responsibility of the author.
1
The Office of Land Information Services expects roughly 550 communities
to have received comprehensive planning grant awards totaling $9.5
million by June 2003. By 2002, 63 completed comprehensive plans had been
submitted to OLIS, 22 of which had not received grant funds (Kemp).
2
1,943 local units of government in Wisconsin are eligible for
comprehensive planning grants, including 72 counties, 190 cities, 395
villages, 1,265 towns, 9 regional planning commissions, and 12 tribes.
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