Home Page Spotlight

Sauk County is indeed a special place, rooted in history, rich in natural beauty, and home to iconic destinations from circus heritage to rock climbing to waterparks. As one of Wisconsin's fastest-growing counties, planning for the future is critical. Sauk County is building a Comprehensive Plan—a big-picture roadmap that guides how Sauk County grows, invests, protects, and supports its communities over the next 10 to 15 years. This plan will outline the county’s vision for the future and provide a policy framework to guide decisions on land use, development, and investment to best meet the needs of citizens focusing on key issues that impact the entire community. This isn’t just about land use or zoning, it’s about your quality of life, focusing on issues such as housing, transportation, economic vitality, farmland and natural resource preservation, community character, public services and how all of these connect.

The goal for this process and ultimate plan is to have it shaped by public input and incorporating the needs of all citizens and municipalities within the community. This plan is created for Sauk County citizens, by Sauk County citizens and we want to hear your voice at every phase. Take a quick survey. Sign up for email updates. Drop us a note. Come to a pop-up. Visit our website or stop by your local library to share thoughts. Attend in person or virtual workshops. This is a two-year long planning process which has three main phases:

• First, Engage and Assess—where we gather your input and inventory and analyze where we are.
• Then, Envision—where we explore big ideas together. Explore plausible scenarios and test goals and strategies to better define our collective future.
• And finally, Implement—where the plan becomes a guide for action.

To get involved and share your voice, please see the project website www.saukcountyfuturesforged.com. Currently, there is a survey open for public feedback, word clouds, and you can subscribe to receive project news and updates. However you want to get involved, just know, your input shapes this future!

Over the past two years, the Land Resources and Environment Department has been working on an amendment to the Sauk County Chapter 7 Zoning Code. The amendment to the ordinance was generated from changes to state law, requests from Towns, changing land use patterns and addressing local land use issues. Changes have been made throughout Chapter 7 that include updated use and development standards, Planned Rural Developments, and Temporary Use Permits.