PUBLIC PARTICIPATION:

PUBLIC PARTICIPATION PLAN

I. Introduction

The City of Onalaska and Village of Holmen have received a State of Wisconsin Planning Grant to update their individual Comprehensive plans pursuant to the State’s Comprehensive Planning Law, Section 66.1001 of the Wisconsin Statutes 66.1001.

Section 66.1001(4)(a) of Wisconsin Statutes specifically requires the governing body of the local governmental unit to adopt written procedures designed to foster public participation, including open discussions, communication programs, information services and public meetings for which advance notice has been provided, in every stage in the preparation of the comprehensive plan. These written procedures contained within this public participation plan satisfy this requirement. This plan will guide public participation throughout the City of Onalaska’s comprehensive planning process.

This plan was adopted by the City of Onalaska, City Council on _______________.

This public participation program offers all citizens, businesses, interest groups and other parties a range of opportunities to participate throughout the planning process in a meaningful way to shape the future of the Village and region. Effective public input is critical for the success of this planning process because it is our citizens, businesses and groups that will experience the plan’s costs and benefits on a daily basis for many years. This plan will, in part, determine where and how our residents live, work and play, and how they travel from one place to another. They will also be the main implementers and enforcers of the plan.

Our participation program is creative, inclusive and persistent. It employs the use of innovative, unique, and thoughtful ways to encourage people to participate in the process and to maximize the effectiveness of their contributions. The opportunities are open to everyone with a stake in the outcome of the comprehensive plan. And, several participation opportunities are available to a wide range of citizens – people with different incomes, races, ages, and occupations – in all stages of the planning process.

Our public participation process will:

• Ensure all planning decisions are open to public comment;
• Produce better planning decisions;
• Support and add credibility to all Village decision making processes;
• Provide opportunities to disseminate information about the plan and process to all segments of the Village;
• Strengthen the relationship between our decision makers and citizens; and,
• Develop a shared vision for the future of Onalaska.

The public participation plan has been created as a collaborative effort between the planning consultants Schreiber/Anderson Associates, Inc. (SAA) and the City of Onalaska.

II. Public Participation Opportunities

The City of Onalaska has established the following list of public participation opportunities in consultation with SAA because these techniques are designed to maximize public participation in every stage of our planning process. This collection of opportunities will meet both the letter and spirit of Wisconsin’s Comprehensive Planning Legislation and will include the following:

1. Community Survey
A community survey will be mailed to all Onalaska households. The survey will be approximately four (4) pages in length, and be designed to obtain public opinions and preferences on key subjects addressed in each of the nine comprehensive plan elements.

2. Visioning Meeting 1: Issue Identification
Two public visioning meetings will be conducted. The first meeting has two purposes. One is to create public awareness of and education about the planning process and to answer questions. The second purpose is to facilitate a goal setting exercise. Consultants and plan committee members will lead an exercise that will engage community participants in a discussion about issues and opportunities that should be addressed in the comprehensive planning process. Participants will also set their top priorities for the process and City of Onalaska over the next 20 years by ranking issues and opportunities. The results of this exercise will provide the foundation for the development of project and community goals and objectives.

3. Visioning Meeting 2: Visual Preference Survey
A Visual Preference Survey (VPS) is a planning tool that provides the public with the opportunity to offer its opinions about the visual quality of various types of development (i.e. single family residential, apartments, retail establishments, industrial buildings, offices, etc.). One of the unique features of our VPS will be that up to 25 residents or groups of residents will be given cameras to take pictures of buildings, places, and features of the community that they like and do not like.

The public will rank these photographs and others provided by SAA to determine Onalaska’s visual preferences for different types and styles of development.

The results of the VPS can be used by the City to create specific plan recommendations and implementation ordinances to facilitate the types and styles of development the public prefers. The VPS can be a powerful and effective planning tool for gauging the public's opinions about the visual quality of development and land use patterns that the community desires.

4. Website
The consultants will maintain a website that will host Onalaska comprehensive plan and planning process information. This information may include the project schedule, meeting notes and agendas, draft plan elements and reports, maps, photographs, and survey results. In addition, website newsletters will be provided online during the process. The website will also provide an opportunity for residents to submit comments and input on the plan and planning process electronically at their own convenience.

5. Youth Participation Exercises (to be completed by Onalaska planning staff)
The Onalaska planning department, in conjunction with the Onalaska Public Schools, will work to involve young people in the planning process, while also educating them on the field of planning in general. The focus of these exercises will be on two groups of students, a younger group around third or fourth grade and an older group of high school students. The following programs will be used to encourage youth participation is the comprehensive planning process:

Younger Group (3rd or 4th Graders)
A. Build a City – this is an exercise that allows the students to actually arrange the City how they would like. We will print out a big map and then they can build little buildings that represent different uses and place them were they would like them to be located within the City (or not in the City at all).
B. City Art – this exercise asks students to draw pictures of things that they like or dislike about their community, or something that they would like to have in the community that we currently do not have. We could then display these pictures at one of our community workshops.
C. Discussion Sessions – simple discussion sessions that ask students questions about their ideas for development projects and allow them to share their ideas in an open (but controlled) atmosphere. The key here is to help them see that we care about their ideas and that we are listening to them.

Older Group (High School level)
A. Camera Exercise – this exercise gives groups of students disposable cameras to go around the City and take pictures of things that they like and dislike. We will then get the pictures developed and create a collage in class, while discussing the pictures.
B. Survey’s – this is a way to reach more students through the use of one or two classes. We will have them help to develop a survey for feedback from other students and have them distribute it and analyze the results.
C. Mock Plan Commission – to educate students about the work of the planning department and Plan Commission, we will have them participate in a mock plan commission meeting, looking at different planning issues. Students will be assigned different roles to prepare for and will make decisions bases upon the information provided to them.
D. Discussion Sessions – simple discussion workshops that get at what kinds of projects are important to students. This will also include the ranking of issues and opportunities (as in Visioning Meeting 1 of the overall participation plan).
E. Participation at Overall Workshops – we will ask for representatives from the high school classes to present some of their work at the community meetings or to the LRPC. This will give them a chance to develop presentation skills and see that they are a vital part of the community, while showing the rest of the community they have some good ideas and can be a great source of incite. While only a few may be able to present, we should encourage all to attend.

6. Past Planning Accomplishments Memorandum
The consultants will prepare a public document that highlights previous planning efforts in the City of Onalaska and the outcomes of such plans. This report will contribute to the public awareness and successes of past plans.

7. Press Releases
The City and consultants will work together to produce press releases and other public information pieces at key points to facilitate widespread awareness and education of events and overall plan creation progress.

8. Meeting Notices
The City will post meeting notices for each meeting and event in a timely manner at accessible locations.

9. Steering Committee Meetings
The nine elements of the comprehensive plan will be developed at a series of meetings between the Onalaska Planning Steering Committee and the consultants. The meetings, unless otherwise noted, will be open to the public and allow opportunities for public comments. The meetings will focus on the development of plans, policies, and programs to implement the community defined vision. These sessions also include intergovernmental cooperation sessions with the Village of Holmen.

10. Open House to Review Draft Plan
The Comprehensive Planning Law requires municipalities to hold at least one formal public hearing with a Class 1 public notice prior to adoption of the "Final Comprehensive Plans." Prior to adoption of the Final Comprehensive Plans, the consultants will conduct an open house that will be chaired by the Plan Commission. The intent of the community open house is to provide an opportunity for the public to review and comment on the complete "Draft Comprehensive Plan."

After the community open house, the City Plan Commission will adopt, by resolution, a "Recommended Comprehensive Plan." After the Recommended Comprehensive Plan is adopted, the plan will be forwarded to the City Council. The City will also send a copy of the recommended plan to all neighboring jurisdictions, districts, etc. as required by the Comprehensive Planning Law, eliciting their written comments and feedback prior to adoption.

11. Public Hearing on Final Plan Adoption
The final step in the plan adoption process is for the City Council to hold a public hearing on the proposed "Final Comprehensive Plan" adoption ordinances and the "Final Comprehensive Plan" documents. The City Council is required to consider any comments received on the Recommended Comprehensive Plans prior to adopting a Final Comprehensive Plan. After adoption of the ordinances for the Final Comprehensive Plans, the plans and adoption ordinances shall be distributed by the City to the recipients listed in Section 66.1001(4) (b) of the Wisconsin Statutes.


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