In 2021 the Village Board adopted a Strategic Plan to guide the focus, resources, and priorities of the Village from 2021-2026. Bi-annual reports are produced to update the public and Village Board on the progress made on the Strategic Plan. 

• 2021-2026 Strategic Plan
• January 2022 Report
• August 2022 Report
• January 2023 Report
• August 2023 Report
• January 2024 Report
• August 2024 Report

Economic Growth

Attract and retain commercial establishments (retail, restaurants, and entertainment) with a focus on filling vacant buildings and keeping Sussex dollars local. 

• Develop and implement an updated plan for commercial attraction, which includes an analysis of building vacancies and a target vacancy rate for commercial space in the Village.
• Develop a robust partnership with the Center for Growth and The Chamber, which includes routine updates from these organizations to the elected officials. 
• Develop a marketing campaign targeted at identifying prospective entrepreneurs and connect those prospective entrepreneurs with the information and tools needed to start a business in Sussex. 
• Research incentive, grant, or support programs that are significant enough to address market barriers and encourage new businesses to open in our community.

Attract and retain primary employers that will bring quality jobs to the community.

• Develop strategies to attract, recruit, and retain primary employers with a focus on next generation businesses. Offer incentives for developers who bring quality jobs to the Village. 
• Support Waukesha County Center for Growth in their industry attraction efforts.

Infrastructure & Facilities

Maintain good roads in a fiscally responsible manner. 

• Maintain the roads to a level that prevents premature road reconstruction, which includes annual road programs and routine maintenance. 
• Continue increasing the annual funding to the Depreciation Fund for the Road Program, with the goal of reaching $2 million allocated annually within five years. 
• Research and evaluate alternate funding mechanisms and revenue sources to minimize borrowing.

Ensure compliance with all utility regulations and adequate utility capacity to address future growth.

• Continue to monitor water and wastewater usage, capacity, and storage needs to determine when and where the Village needs to increase capacity. 
• Update the Stormwater Management Plan, and incorporate the cost of the plan into the Depreciation Fund so the Village is adequately saving for these expenses. 
• Monitor regulations for all utilities to understand future financial and operational impacts.

Quality of Life

Maintain high quality services. 

• Identify a measureable level-of-service target for public-facing programs, track progress towards these goals, and report to the Board, including sufficient facilities and equipment.

Ensure Sussex is a family-friendly community.

• Update the Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan. As part of this process, identify potential amenities and programs for underserved populations (i.e. teen programs).
• Continue implementing the Village Park Master Plan to add new amenities and update existing ones. Meet with key stakeholders in park usage (ie. baseball clubs, Lions/SAS Club) to collaborate on functionality of park design.
• Explore the feasibility of adding more live music to Sussex’s existing special events (i.e. Pints in the Park) or by adding new events and consider facility needs. 
• Analyze recreation program offerings to identify service gaps. 

Explore opportunities to construct a community pool/aquatics center.

• Research pools in similar size communities to estimate capital and operating costs, identify potential funding mechanisms, and learn best practices.
• Explore public and private partnerships for funding and usage to keep some of the cost burden off tax payers.
• Complete a feasibility study (hire a consultant) to identify community needs and refine cost estimates. As part of this study, determine if the Village should construct a smaller community pool at a lower cost to taxpayers or a larger aquatic center with more amenities.

Citizen Engagement

Better understand topics and issues that are important to the public. 

• Research and identify new opportunities to engage with the public. 
• Identify and routinely report on metrics that measure public engagement. 
• Research and present options for a community wide survey to be conducted routinely to evaluate service levels and identify issues of importance to the public. 

Solicit feedback on specific projects, topics, and services of interest to the public.

• Continue to seek public input for all major projects (i.e. major road reconstructions, park projects, library project, etc.).

Financially Sound

Reduce debt levels.

• Continue to invest in the pay-as-you-go, depreciation fund for capital items with the goal of fully depreciating all capital expenditures and the annual road program. 
• Analyze existing debt and opportunities to restructure/re-finance to reduce debt. 
• Evaluate future Capital Improvement Plan projects for debt management opportunities. 

Reduce the average cost burden for residents with the goal of being below the median cost when compared to peer communities. 

• Identify this target cost and report on it annually as part of the budget.
• Explore possible cost saving measures by partnering with surrounding communities and organizations or by identifying opportunities to reduce costs within our operations.

Prepare for the end of growth. 

• Study staffing needs at the end of growth. Continue the existing practice of budgeting and stepping in these additional employees.
• Study communities that are already done growing and learn from their story. 

Attract and retain quality employees.

• Complete a salary study every three years. The Village’s goal is to pay employees at 75% of the median pay rate. 
• Budget for staff raises annually based on the market and continue with performance-based raises to reward high performing employees. 
• Routinely complete anonymous employee engagement surveys.