As part of its ongoing efforts to more efficiently manage the Village, Round Lake had been reviewing its internal organization, budgets, staffing, and service provision. As part of that effort, the Village decided to prepare its first-ever strategic plan. Teska, which had recently completed the Village’s Comprehensive Plan update and was serving as consultant planner, was asked to prepare that plan.
The Village of Round Lake Strategic Plan process started by preparing a strengths, weaknesses, threats, and opportunities (SWOT) analysis. The SWOT, combined with the Comprehensive Plan and internal assessment memo completed by senior staff, served as the basis for workshops related to the strategic plan. In a full-day event, the Village Board and Senior Staff met jointly to discuss and evaluate Village goals, public services, and the business of running the Village. In large and small group discussions, participants considered issues related to key themes for the Village: Economic Development, Community Operations, Transportation, Downtown, Community Character, and Housing. The Village Board held as the second workshop to prioritize action items that grew out of the first workshop. The final product was formatted into a graphically rich document to be shared with the public, prospective businesses, and others.
