Committee of the Whole Strategic Plan Update – June 23, 2026
Committee of the Whole Strategic Plan Update – June 23, 2026
The Oswego Village Board Committee of the Whole met on June 23, 2026, at 6:00 PM to receive the first semi-annual update on the 2026-2030 Strategic Plan, adopted in February 2026. The presentation, led by Assistant to the Village Administrator Maddie, detailed progress on 168 goals, including 103 started and 4 completed. Board members discussed the need for a feedback loop, staff workload balance, and recognition of community activities beyond the plan.
Public Comments & Testimony
- No members of the public addressed the board.
Discussion Items
- Strategic Plan Update Presentation: Maddie presented the first update since the plan's adoption. Key achievements included: expanded GIS dashboards across departments, a new procurement policy (January 2026), updated cash reserve/fund balance/investment policies, and identification of available industrial properties. Under board goals, progress was noted on: implementing the comprehensive plan (estimated winter 2026), bicycle/pedestrian plan (fall 2026), commuter railroad feasibility study, downtown accessibility (South Harrison Streetscape design), business attraction/retention (vacancy rate at 4.2%, lowest in 10+ years), Wolf's Crossing (Douglas Road roundabout fall 2026, $575,000 in new state grants), comprehensive marketing/communications plan (website redesign, branding, rack cards), water source transition (financing imminent, forest booster station complete, Ogden Falls receiving station spring 2027), financial stability (diversified revenues, tourism, DCEO grants, FOID revocation grant, building cash reserves), and infrastructure/asset management plan (top five assets identified: water, sewer, street, fleet, facilities). Lead team goals included: professionalizing procurement, nurturing community (Wine of the Fox 20th anniversary positive revenue, 250th celebration planned), IT efficiency (GIS), employee attraction/retention (compensation study on track for August, HRIS implementation), development services (comprehensive plan and bike/ped plan on track, self-service portal for permitting).
- Feedback Loop and Staff Workload: Trustees raised concerns about ensuring goals remain realistic and that staff are not overwhelmed. Dan (Village Administrator) noted that the six-month check-ins will allow adjustments. Maddie agreed to add a notes column to tracking sheets. Trustee Marchelle emphasized the importance of documenting feedback for future boards. Trustee Jen highlighted the need to monitor staff mental health and avoid burnout. The board discussed the risk of “scope creep” from non-strategic-plan tasks that divert resources. Trustees encouraged staff to communicate any legacy activities that are taking time away from strategic goals.
- Taking Credit for Broader Community Efforts: Trustee Jen noted that many community activities (e.g., Prairie Fest, school district interactions, fire district coordination) are not explicit goals but contribute to “nurturing a sense of community” and “growing with purpose.” She urged the board to recognize these efforts as part of the strategic plan’s spirit.
Key Outcomes
- No formal votes were taken. The board received the update and provided direction to staff to: (1) develop a formal feedback loop for goal adjustments, (2) communicate any legacy or non-strategic-plan tasks that hinder progress, and (3) create a media kit for consistent messaging on the strategic plan. The next update is expected in six months. The Committee of the Whole adjourned at approximately 6:30 PM to reconvene for the regular Village Board meeting at 7:00 PM.
Meeting Transcript
All right, welcome to our committee of the whole. Roll call, please. President Kaufman. Here. Trustee Cooper. Here. Trustee Hughes. Here. Trustee Conay. Here. Trustee McCarthy and Lane. Here. Trustee Torres. Here. Trustee Novi, absent. All right. First up, we're going to open the public forum. So if there's anyone wishing to address the board, please feel free to come forward now. Seeing nobody, we're going to close the public forum and move on to new business. And under new business, we have item F1, Maddie, I believe. Good evening, everyone. Who's ready for the first strategic plan update for this strategic plan? Oh, yeah. Yay! Well, I'm happy to guide you through the process. I'm Maddie, I'm the assistant to the village administrator. Uh, if you don't know me, I I hope you all know me at this point. But um again, I'm gonna walk you through this presentation today. Um the first thing I wanted to note is this beautiful strategic plan poster that's on your screens right now with the diligence of our community relations team. Um, they have drafted a beautiful short quick look that's gonna be displayed in various key areas throughout the village location. So public works once it's fully up and operational, we're gonna make sure we're gonna get those back on the walls, as well as village hall. PD does have their own strategic plan, so if you're interested in that, Chief would be able to uh walk you through that. But uh they have been made aware of our strategic plan. We want to make sure we're we're uh getting to the same goals as uh as needed. So thank you, community relations team for this wonderful um visual aid that we get to have for the next four years. Hey Maddie, if a resident would like to get a copy of this, how can they do that? We have a web page on the website for the strategic plan which outlines all of the information within the strategic. I'm gonna say this word, these words so often tonight, but uh it's gonna have everything related to the strategic plan. Uh this entire document that was uploaded with your packets is on that website as well. Um, but any person who is interested in reviewing it can go to the village website. Thank you. What just I'm sorry to jump in, one thought. Um could we do like a printed copy kind of like we have here with these Bay 54s where we have it maybe at um uh board and air block events that we have throughout uh the year, might be nice to have them on a card. You can hand them off to people. You mean you don't have them memorized yet? I'm not saying for me. Yes, that's definitely something we can put on the list. Uh's writing it down already. Uh just to the fellow trustees, if you find the page on the website, maybe posting it on your Facebook page so that way the people who follow you can find it as well. Go ahead, yeah.
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