Municipal Sustainability Planning Consultation

Description

Local governments make decisions every week that shape energy use, land use, water quality and quality of life for years to come: which vehicles to buy, how to maintain buildings, where to grow, how to manage stormwater. Many municipalities want to bring sustainability into those decisions but are not sure where to begin, or have scattered efforts that never quite add up to a strategy.

This consultation gives your staff, committee or elected officials a structured starting point. It draws on The Natural Step framework and the eco-municipality approach that inspired the original Sustainable Fox Valley initiative, adapted to the budgets and realities of Wisconsin communities. For background, see our page for municipalities and our guide to how cities and villages become eco-municipalities.

Who it is for

• Cities, villages, towns and counties in the Fox Valley and northeast Wisconsin.
• Sustainability committees, green teams and plan commissions starting or refreshing their work.
• Municipal staff updating a comprehensive plan or looking at energy and operating costs in public buildings and fleets.
• Elected officials who want a shared framework before committing to specific goals.

What is included

• Intake call with your project lead to understand your goals, timeline, decision-makers and constraints.
• Document review of your existing comprehensive plan, relevant ordinances, past sustainability resolutions and readily available operations data, such as utility bills for municipal buildings.
• Two facilitated working sessions (about 2 hours each) with staff, committee members or a mix, on site or online. The first builds a shared understanding and a vision; the second prioritizes first steps.
• Recommendations memo: a concise written summary of where you stand, opportunities that fit your community, first-step options with rough effort levels and suggestions for involving residents.
• Optional briefing of up to 30 minutes for your board, council or committee to present the memo.
• Resource list of public programs and agencies relevant to your priorities, such as Focus on Energy, the Wisconsin DNR and UW–Madison Extension.

How it works

1. Purchase and tell us about your community. Include your municipality’s name and a contact person in your order notes.
2. We email you to schedule. Within 2 business days we will reach out to set up the intake call and request documents.
3. Review and prepare. We review your materials and design the working sessions around your priorities.
4. Work together. We facilitate two working sessions, usually two to three weeks apart, so participants have time to reflect and gather information.
5. Receive your memo. We deliver the recommendations memo within 10 business days of the second session, and present it to your governing body if you choose.

What you get afterwards

You come away with a shared vocabulary among staff and officials, a realistic picture of your starting point, and a short list of first steps that match your capacity, such as an energy review of municipal buildings, a green purchasing policy, stormwater and native landscaping on public land, or a resident engagement process like study circles. The memo is written to be shared with your governing body and the public.

Scheduling and delivery

Services are delivered in the Fox Cities area in person or online. After purchase we email you within 2 business days to schedule. Most consultations are completed in six to eight weeks, depending on your meeting calendar. If your municipality requires a quote, purchase order or invoice before payment, contact us first and we will accommodate your process. See our refund policy for cancellation terms.

Specifications

Consultation fees help fund the free educational content we publish for Fox Valley residents and communities.