Peotone Village Board Approves $25,000 Strategic Planning Contract with CP2 Consulting

By Andrea Arens

The Peotone Village Board approved a $25,000 contract with CP2 Consulting on January 26 to develop a comprehensive strategic plan aimed at guiding the village’s priorities, operations, and economic development over the next several years.

The board voted unanimously to approve the agreement following a detailed presentation by Cory Plasch of CP2 Consulting, who outlined a four- to six-month strategic planning process focused on community engagement, goal-setting, and long-term implementation.

Village Administrator Nick Palmer said the idea grew out of discussions at the Administration and Operations Committee and his own experience seeing CP2 present at professional conferences.

“I just thought strategic planning would be useful for the village and beyond,” Palmer said. “Either you confirm what you already know, or you might find some blind spots or get a different perspective, and I think that’s valuable.”

Community-Driven Planning Process

Plasch emphasized that the strategic plan would rely heavily on public input, including surveys, focus groups, and facilitated discussions with residents, business owners, staff, and students.

“A strategic plan is the opportunity to have some really important conversations with a whole lot of different people,” Flesch said. “It’s a chance to get everybody on the bus and headed in the same direction.”

The process will include a visioning session, leadership retreats, and an environmental scan examining financial conditions, staffing, infrastructure, and external factors affecting the village. The final plan will identify strategic goals, outcomes, and performance measures looking three to five years into the future.

Emphasis on Implementation

Several trustees raised concerns about past planning efforts that failed to move beyond reports and studies.

Trustee Todd Sandberg acknowledged skepticism about planning processes but said the village needs to try a new approach.

“We do a lot of plans and we don’t do anything with them,” Sandberg said. “But we’re not really moving forward with anything right now, so some sort of plan is better than no plan.”

Trustee Gary Hudson echoed those concerns, stressing the importance of follow-through.

“The key to this whole thing for us is implementation,” Sandberg said. “We don’t want plans that sit on shelves. This needs to be something we commit to and carry forward.”

Flesch responded by noting that CP2 does not offer strategic planning without implementation support.

“I don’t want to be known as the person who did the strategic plan that got dust on it,” Plasch said. “If you plan out implementation and a reporting structure, then the plan actually becomes something you use.”

Trustee Support and Approval

Trustee Patrick Bowden said the process could help provide discipline and structure that the board cannot achieve on its own.

“We’ve done this before and thought we could do it ourselves,” Bowden said. “But when you dig into it, you realize sometimes you need an outsider to keep everyone focused and accountable.”

Mayor and trustees also discussed how a completed strategic plan could help attract businesses by clearly outlining the village’s vision and priorities.

Following discussion, the board approved the resolution authorizing CP2 Consulting to proceed with the strategic planning services.

Plasch thanked the board for its confidence and said she looks forward to working with the village.

“This is a privilege to do,” she said. “I really do believe strategic planning gives communities the chance to have the right conversations and know where they’re going.”