Save Cedar Creek launches survey to shape Cedarburg’s future

Save Cedar Creek has launched a community survey in Cedarburg, Wisconsin, saying the city’s 2001 public input process should guide future planning. The group says the new survey has drawn nearly 200 responses in two weeks and will be shared with participants and delivered to city leaders.

Why it matters: - Save Cedar Creek is trying to widen public input on Cedarburg planning decisions beyond formal hearings and Plan Commission meetings. - The group says the survey could help capture voices from residents who do not attend meetings or follow city planning documents closely. - The effort centers on Cedarburg’s outstanding comprehensive plan updates, including chapters tied to natural and cultural resources and Cedar Creek.

What happened: - Save Cedar Creek launched a community survey two weeks ago at the SCC survey. - The survey has drawn nearly 200 responses so far, all through social media. - Kevin Cahill, founder of Save Cedar Creek, said the group wants to ask residents what they want Cedarburg to look like. - The organization is comparing the current planning process with the city’s 2001 citywide survey and public engagement effort.

The details: - On March 25, 2001, the City of Cedarburg mailed a survey to every resident. - Nearly 1,800 people responded, a 34.2% return rate. - The 2001 effort also included two community forums with more than 100 residents, 700 additional written comments and six focus groups with more than 70 participants. - The city adopted the Smart Growth Comprehensive Land Use Plan on January 28, 2008, using that public input as a foundation. - Chapter 9 of the comprehensive plan describes the 2001 process and says future revisions of any goal, objective or policy should receive the same level of analysis as the original plan. - The City’s October 13, 2025 update used Plan Commission meetings, a commissioned housing report, a traffic study, a school district enrollment projection and public hearings held after draft land use designations had already been prepared. - No survey was mailed to households for the 2025 update. - Cahill said the 2025 hearings reached people who found out about them and could attend, while a mailed survey would reach everyone. - The December 2024 public input session filled the Cedarburg Cultural Center, and the Plan Commission reduced density in two Smart Growth Areas afterward. - Save Cedar Creek says the survey is meant to fill a participation gap, not replace the city’s planning role. - Cahill said many residents are raising families and working, and may not read Plan Commission minutes. - The October 2025 action updated four chapters, while six chapters remain outstanding. - Those unfinished chapters include the natural and cultural resources element tied to Cedar Creek. - The survey takes about two minutes. - Responses are confidential. - Save Cedar Creek says aggregate results will be published, shared with every participant and delivered to the City.

Between the lines: - The dispute is less about whether Cedarburg held public hearings and more about which process best reaches ordinary residents. - Save Cedar Creek is arguing that mailed, citywide input can surface concerns that may never appear at evening meetings. - The timing suggests the group sees a window to influence the remaining comprehensive plan chapters before those updates are finalized.

What's next: - Save Cedar Creek plans to publish aggregate survey results, send them to participants and present them to city officials. - The group says there is still time to apply a 2001-style public input process to the remaining plan chapters. - Residents can still complete the survey online at the SCC survey.

The bottom line: - Save Cedar Creek is using Cedarburg’s own planning history to push for broader public participation before the city finishes the rest of its comprehensive plan updates.