New Logo Unveiled

Originally what started as an effort to have  marketing materials drafted and printed turned into a six month effort and lesson in marketing for staff and the Village Board.  Back in December, 2016, Administrator Fenlon began meeting with marketing professionals to discuss a mock-up of marketing materials for economic development and other purposes.  As those discussions progressed, it became apparent that brand standards and defined identity were needed in order to move forward.  After preliminary discussions with the Village Board and the consultant, it was decided that with that effort, staff and the board would look at the current logo and options moving forward.  Over the course of the past six months, we have held a listening session or open house on the topic, solicited feedback through an interactive survey and discussed the matter at no less than 4 Regular Board meetings.  

Ultimately, last month, the Village Board of Trustees voted to move forward with the logo and text you see below.  In the time since, staff and the consultant have developed the appropriate brand standards and types of logos that will be used moving forward by the Village.  One of the benefits of the logo below is that it maximizes production efficiency by keeping to just two colors.  Additionally, it captures the font and some similarity to the previous logo.  Lastly, the established was added as a homage to the Village's history, which is not only something to be proud of, but something we should celebrate externally to guests, visitors and future residents and business owners!

So what is next?  We will slowly begin rolling out the new logo mainly through electronic formats, letterhead and other mediums in the coming months.  Essentially, wherever we can update areas that are free in 2017 is where we will focus the update.  As we acquire new vehicles or design new signs for facilities and amenities, this logo, the standards and future branding will surely follow.  Since its mentioned, and I am sure you are wondering, we plan to use a tagline of "Welcome to the Village" since "Village of" is no longer in the actual logo.  While the details and efforts on that branding front have not been finalized, we wanted to be sure you were aware of that key point as we round out a well reasoned and designed branding effort.  

If you participated in the effort, provided feedback at meetings or took the survey, we thank you.  We'd also like to extend our thanks to Jenny Vanden Heuvel, resident and owner of JVH Design for her assistance on this project.  If you have comments, questions or concerns on this effort or any others, please do not hesitate to contact the Village Administrator at 920-423-3850 or at james@littlechutewi.org.    

Little Chute Releases 2016 Community Survey

Earlier this year, the Village of Little Chute partnered with the UW River Falls Survey Research Center.  In April 2016, the Survey Research Center (SRC) at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls mailed surveys to 1,101 randomly selected households in the Village, followed by a second mailing to non-respondents two weeks later.

The SRC received 471 useable responses, for a net response rate of 48%.  Based on the estimated number of adults in the population of Little Chute (8,148), the results provided in the report are expected to be accurate to within plus or minus 4.4% with 95% confidence.

The effort of the survey is actually part of a larger strategy, that being the 2015-2019 Strategic Plan.  The data collected in this survey will assist in policy creation, future decision making and assist with providing data in a number of key areas for the Village of Little Chute.  Perhaps most pressing, data from the report will be utilized as staff continue to work on a cohesive marketing effort for future economic development efforts in the Village, particularly in the Downtown/Central Business District.

Finally, the Village Board of Trustees and Village staff would like to thank the residents of Little Chute for sharing their time and opinion during this effort.  With a response rate of 48%, it is safe to say that the residents of Little Chute are engaged.  We look forward to working on continually improving Village government, not only to meet your expectations that our residents clearly have for our community, but to exceed them!  

You can find the full report for the survey on the Village's Strategic Planning landing page (linked in the left column) or by clicking here. 

Poll Opportunity: Village Seeks Citizen Input

As set by Wisconsin State Statute, the Village President and Board of Trustees are elected to two-year terms.  Recently the Village staff has been working with the Village Board, other communities and the Village Attorney to explore the possibility of changing the terms of office from two to three year terms for the Board of Trustees and the Village President. 

Of the approximate 402 Villages in the state of Wisconsin, there are roughly 15-20 Villages that have enacted charter ordinances to change terms of office from two to three year terms for their Boards.  Some of the communities that have initiated this change include (but not limited to) Ashwaubenon, Germantown, Suamico, Greenville, Whitefish Bay, Brown Deer and Menominee Falls. 

Generally, communities with three-year terms opt to have a 2-2-3 election cycle, so that two trustees are up for election each year and in the third year the Village President is also elected.  Under two-year terms, the Village of Little Chute Board is elected under a 3-4 election cycle, where the Village President is elected every other year.

Communities that elect their Board to three-year terms do so to allow newly elected Trustees more time to learn the issues and have a greater impact during their term.  In addition, three-year terms arguably allows for greater continuity in leading the community at the Board level.

The Village Board is looking for public input on this topic and would like your feedback.  If you clink the following link, you will be directed to take an interactive poll that will be used to inform the Village Board on this matter.  The poll can be found here:    https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/terms_for_Village_Board

Should you have any other questions or comments, just let us know.  Thank you.

Little Chute Receives Community Leadership Award

On Thursday, January 30th, the Village of Little Chute received the Fox Cities Greenways Community Leadership award for work related to improving pedestrian bicycle opportunities.  Accepting the award on behalf of the Village was Village President Mike Vanden Berg, Parks and Recreation Director Tom Flick, and Village Trustee Bill Peerenboom.  For more information on Fox Cities Greenways and the award, check out the Fox Cities Greenways Blog.

Pictured Left to Right: President Mike Vanden Berg, Dave Muench (Fox Cities Greenways), Park and Rec Director Tom Flick and Village Trustee Bill Peerenboom.