Kenosha County Public Participation Plan

The public participation plan for the Kenosha County comprehensive plan is intended to actively involve citizens in the planning process. At the foundation of the comprehensive plan is the question: "What do you want your community to be?"

Recognizing that the people who live, work and play in a community should have input in how that community develops, Wisconsin’s “Smart Growth” Law, Statute 66.1001(4)(a), mandates:

Wisconsin Statute 66.1001(4)(a)

The governing body of a local governmental unit shall adopt written procedures that are designed to foster public participation, including open discussion, communication programs, information services and public meetings for which advance notice has been provided, in every stage of the preparation of a comprehensive plan. The written procedures shall provide for wide distribution of proposed, alternative or amended elements of a comprehensive plan and shall provide an opportunity for written comments on the plan to be submitted by members of the public to the governing body and for the governing body to respond to such written comments.  The written procedures shall describe the methods the governing body of a local governmental unit will use to distribute proposed, alternative, or amended elements of a comprehensive plan to owners of property, or to persons who have a leasehold interest in property pursuant to which the persons may extract nonmetallic mineral resources in or on property, in which the allowable use or intensity of use of the property is changed by the comprehensive plan.

The Public Participation Plan is designed to engage Kenosha County residents, business owners and other interest groups in the development of the comprehensive plan.  Through a variety of mediums and meetings, the plan seeks to enhance public understanding of the Smart Growth Law and its importance, to provide opportunities for citizens to identify community issues, and to develop a vision for the future of Kenosha.

View the Public Participation Plan for Kenosha County

 

"Compass Points": Comprehensive Planning Newsletter

 

Community Chats

Community Chat with Annie Jones  

Community Chat with Annie Jones is a cable television show that highlights issues in Kenosha County through discussion between Annie Jones, UW-Extension Community Resource Development Educator, and citizens and local leaders.  In order to provide updates and information about the comprehensive plan, a series of three "chats" is scheduled around the following plan elements: economic development, land use, and agricultural and natural resources. 

Community Chat airs on Sunday nights at 10:30 and on Tuesday mornings at 9:30, on Kenosha Cable Channel 14.

To download a community chat to your computer, right-click the link and select "save target as." 
  • Economic Development: Guests John Roth (Director of Long-Range Countywide Planning) and Todd Battle (Director of Kenosha Area Business Alliance, Inc.)

    Video (356MB, WMV)

  • Agricultural and Natural Resources: Guests John Holloway (Town of Paris Plan Commission Chairperson), Rose Skora (UW-Extension Community Agriculture Educator), and Dan Treloar (Kenosha County Conservationist). 

    Video (355MB, WMV)

  • Land Use: Guests Nancy Anderson (Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission), William Morris (Town of Somers Administrator, and Multi-Jurisdictional Comprehensive Plan Vice-Chairman), and John Roth (Director of Long-Range Countywide Planning)

    Video (356MB, WMV)

Our thanks to Kenosha Community Media for their assistance and for permitting distribution of Community Chat.

Public Comment Information

Kickoff Meeting: March 21, 2007  

Kickoff Meeting

On March 21, 2007, Kenosha County hosted a countywide kickoff meeting to inform citizens about the multi-jurisdictional comprehensive planning process, legal requirements and planning timeline. 

Meeting participants also took part in a SWOT workshop, identifying strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in the County.

The kickoff meeting was recorded by Time Warner Cable, and aired on Channel 14 from April 30 - May 21, 2007.

Comprehensive Plan Introduction Presentation

SWOT Results
   

 

Kenosha County Cafe

  

Kenosha County Café

On Saturday, May 12, 2007, approximately 35 citizens came together to explore the question: What do we want Kenosha County to look like in 30 years?

Based on the World Café conversational process, the Kenosha County Café was a countywide visionsing session designed to encourage meaningful conversation between people from various communities, backgrounds and experiences through small group discussion. 

The Cafe was recorded by Time Warner Cable, and aired on Channel 14 from May 29 - June 21, 2007.

Kenosha County Café Report

   

 

Village of Pleasant Prairie Public Informational Meeting

  

Local Community Public Informational Meetings

From September through November of 2007, the Comprehensive Planning Team conducted informational meetings in every community participating in the multi-jurisdictional plan for Kenosha County.

These public meetings provided general background information about the comprehensive planning legislation, as well as more detailed information for each community regarding land use, natural resources, intergovernmental cooperation, transportation, housing, economic trends, and demographics.

Public Informational Meeting Presentation
   

 

Kenosha County Bus Tour Participants

  

Tour of Development Sites

On September 30, 2008, several members of the multi-jurisdictional comprehensive plan advisory committee and other representatives from throughout Kenosha County participated in a tour of development sites in Woodstock, Illinois and Walworth County. The County Department of Planning & Development, City of Woodstock Planning & Zoning Department and Kenosha County UW-Extension organized the tour in order to stimulate ideas and discussion about future development in the county.

Tour Program

Final Thoughts from Tour Participants