Visionary Alliance Packet 10/05/2026

AGENDA VISIONARY ALLIANCE MONDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2026 5:00 PM 133 CRESCENT ST MAZOMANIE, WI 53560 Please take notice that there will be a public meeting of the above governmental body, on the date, time, and place indicated for purposes considering the subject matter set forth in the following agenda. The following agenda will be followed: 1. Call to Order 2. Roll Call 3. Additions/Corrections/Approval of the Agenda 4. Discuss and act on the Visionary Alliance meeting minutes dated August 3, 2026 5. Citizen Comment on any subject not on the agenda 6. Discuss Connect Communities Application Process a. Describe your downtown’s top strength. b. Discuss plans to influence downtown growth and development. 7. Update on current studies to include the CORP and the Housing Study. 8. Marketing a. Discuss and make a recommendation on the implementation of Social Media Accounts. 9. Recruit Working Group Members 10. Announcements 11. Adjournment Any person who has a qualifying disability, as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act, that requires the meeting or materials at the meeting to be in an accessible location for format, must contact the Village Clerk at (608) 795-2100, at least 24-hours prior to the commencement of the meeting so that any necessary/reasonable arrangements can be made to accommodate each request. Posted: 10/03/2026 CJE Visionary Alliance August 3, 2026 Present: Chair: Karen Peterson Lienau; members, Allison Lindorfer, and Dale Green Absent: Jennifer Martinez Attendance: Meeting was called to order by Karen Peterson Lienau at 6:00pm Motion by Green to approve the agenda as posted; second by Lindorfer. Motion carried unanimously. Motion to approve Visionary Alliance meeting minutes dated June 1, 2026, was made by Green, seconded by Lindorfer. Motion carried unanimously. Citizen Comment on any subject not on the agenda None present Working Group Updates Outdoor Gateway to the Driftless Green provided an update on the Gateway to the Driftless and surrounding trails. Trail update Peterson recapped correspondence from the railroad commission regarding the storage of rail cars and the Rails -to- Trails program. Housing Discuss and take action to submit an application to join Connect Communities with Wisconsin Economic Development (WEDC). Peterson discussed reasons to join Connect Communities and additional opportunities with WEDC. Motion by Green to submit an application to join Connect Communities, second by Lindorfer. Motion carried unanimously. Marketing Update on the implementation of the Village’s Social Media Accounts Lindorfer and Martinez will work on implementation of Social Media accounts. Chamber Maps The marketing work group will work with the Chamber to revitalize the maps. Recruitment of working group members Due to the size of the Visionary Alliance, working groups should contain no more than 2 members of the committee to avoid the need for posting working group meetings. Peterson requested committee members solicit community members to join the working groups if their passion aligns with the categories created. Green suggested solicitation of interested parties that have specific ideas to improve the community be sought out, such as the installation of bicycle racks. ADJOURNMENT. Motion to adjourn by Lindorfer; second by Green. Motion carried unanimously. The meeting was adjourned at 6:31pm Respectfully submitted, Curt Erickson, Village Administrator Visionary Alliance October 5, 2026 Connect Communities Application Process • Application Deadline: October 16 • Application Fee: $200.00 • Current Status: Approximately 80% complete • Application Review: Errin Welty with WEDC has offered to review the application prior to submission. Errin stated that the Connect Committee membership is the first step in grant funding for downtown projects through WEDC. • Committee Input Needed: Please provide input on the following questions: 1. What is your downtown’s top strength? 2. What is your community’s plan to influence downtown growth and development? Update on CORP • The survey closed on Tuesday, September 8, with 117 responses received. • A Public Information Meeting (PIM) has been scheduled for October 22. • No further action is required by MV A currently. The Parks and Recreation Committee will need to meet to review and discuss the survey results and topics to be addressed after the PIM. Update on Housing Study • The study has officially kicked off. Vierbicher attended the September 21 Plan Commission meeting and reviewed a draft of the survey. • A Public Information Meeting (PIM) has been scheduled for October 22. • No further action is required by MV A currently. Implementation of Village Social Media Policy, Guidelines and Goals Purpose The Village has established a Social Media Policy to provide clear guidelines for the use and management of official Village social-media accounts. We are now requesting Board approval to move forward with implementation of the policy. What We Are Requesting We are asking the Village Board to approve the following: 1. Designate a Village employee to manage the Village’s official social-media accounts. • The designated employee would be responsible for the day-to-day management of the accounts in accordance with the Village’s adopted Social Media Policy. • This would include creating and publishing Village information, sharing community updates, monitoring comments and messages, and coordinating information received from Village departments. 2. Provide municipal social-media training to the designated employee. • Because an official Village social-media account is a government communication platform, we recommend that the employee receive training specifically designed for municipalities. • Training should include: o Wisconsin public-records requirements o Open Meetings Law o First Amendment considerations o Comment moderation o Records retention o Appropriate use of official versus personal accounts o Handling public comments and complaints o Social-media security o Crisis and emergency communication o Municipal communication best practices • The League of Wisconsin Municipalities offers municipal-specific social-media training, and the Wisconsin Public Records Board provides guidance regarding government social-media records. 3. Establish official Village social-media accounts. Following Board approval and training, the designated employee would establish and/or organize the Village’s official social-media presence. The accounts should be established using Village-controlled contact information and remain the property of the Village. 4. Establish appropriate administrative access. Administrative access and account recovery information should be maintained by the Village rather than being tied solely to one individual. Authorized users would be established in accordance with the Village’s Social Media Policy. Why This Is Important The Village already has a policy in place. The next step is to make sure the policy can be implemented correctly and consistently. Having one trained employee responsible for day-to-day social-media management provides: • Consistency in Village communication • Clear accountability • Professional and timely communication • Proper handling of public comments • Better protection of public records • Continuity when elected officials or employees change • Improved communication with residents • A clear separation between official Village communication and personal social- media activity This also eliminates uncertainty about who is responsible for posting, maintaining the accounts and responding to social-media activity. Proposed Process Upon Board approval: Step 1: Designate the Village employee responsible for social media. Step 2: Register the employee for appropriate municipal social-media training. Step 3: Establish the official Village accounts using Village-controlled information. Step 4: Provide the employee with the necessary administrative access. Step 5: Implement the Village’s adopted Social Media Policy. Step 6: Begin regular Village communication through the official accounts. Overview of Responsibilities Village Board → establishes policy/oversight Administrator/Clerk → controls account and authorization Designated Social Media Administrator → creates/posts content Departments/employees → provide information to the administrator Village Board • Approves the overall communication/social-media policy • Has oversight • Does not individually control passwords or routinely create posts Village Administrator/Clerk • Official custodian/administrator of the accounts • Maintains passwords and account access • Authorizes who can post • Makes sure records are retained Designated Social Media/Communications Administrator • Actually runs the Facebook/Instagram/etc. • Creates graphics and posts • Posts Village announcements, events, road closures, meetings, projects, community information, etc. • Monitors messages/comments during designated hours • Refers complaints, legal issues and public-records requests to the appropriate Village official Department heads/employees • Send information/photos/events to the Social Media Administrator • Do not independently create accounts representing the Village • Do not change passwords or remove content Village-owned accounts → owned by the Village, not an employee, elected official or volunteer. Account administrator → designated by the Village Administrator/Board. Authorized posters → specifically named individuals. Passwords → maintained by the Village, not someone’s personal email or personal Facebook account. Content → informational and governmental—not personal, political or promotional for individual officials. Comments → handled according to an established moderation policy. Records → posts, messages and applicable comments retained according to Wisconsin records requirements. Training → anyone with authority to post receives municipal social-media/public-records training. Goal of Social Media Accounts: The goal is simple: Create an official, professional and consistent social-media presence for the Village that is managed by a trained employee and operated according to the policy already adopted by the Village. This will give residents a reliable place to receive accurate Village information while providing the Village with a clear and sustainable process for managing its online communication. Increased transparency and communication with village residents. Posting Cadence Consistency in posting is more important than the number of posts per week. Determine the number of posts per week that can be realistically executed consistently. Examples of Content Pillars Inform: “What residents need to know.” • Updates on shorter-term village projects, street closures, property tax due date and voting reminders • Ordinance changes • Links to village resources • Could repurpose information from the newsletter for this content pillar Show: “Here’s what your village government is doing.” • Longer-term initiatives (example: housing study, Connect Communities program, etc) • Updates on longer-term projects • Before/after photos of projects Celebrate: “Here’s what makes our community special.” • Local events (Wild West Days, Music, Gandy Dancer, Night Market) • Profile village residents making an impact • Highlight different trails, rec programs, seasonal activities • Local business spotlight (could partner with the Chamber for this) • History and heritage - share historic photos of landmarks, people (could work with the Mazo Historical Society for this) Involve: “Here’s how residents can participate and have a voice.” • Surveys, working groups, volunteer opportunities • Share information on when board meetings are, how public comment works Humanize: “Here are the people who make the village work.” • Feature profiles on village employees, village president, and board members Requested Board Action We respectfully request that the Village Board approve: 1. Designation of a Village employee to administer the Village’s official social-media accounts. 2. Authorization for that employee to participate in appropriate municipal social- media training. 3. Authorization to establish and/or administer official Village social-media accounts. 4. Authorization to establish the necessary Village-controlled account information and administrative access in accordance with the adopted Social Media Policy.