It is critical that the activities and impact of the Stevens Point Strategic Plan are regularly tracked to determine the ongoing efficacy of implementation processes, demonstrate return on investment of public and private dollars committed to implementation, and inform efforts to adjust or enhance plan components as implementation progresses.

Performance measurement can take two forms: activity-based and performance-based indicators. Activity-based metrics measure completion towards a goal or direct impact of tactical strategies. They can be most directly affected by organizational efforts. Because economic and demographic data tends to lag a year, activity metrics can provide more immediate evidence of implementation progress.

Activity measures for the Stevens Point Strategic Plan could include:

• Number of total members serving on Hub Associations
• Total number of placemaking projects approved by the Stevens Point Placemaking Commission
• Total dollars expended by the Percent for Place fund
• Total dollars expended by the Stevens Point Placemaking Fund

Strategic Plan implementation partners could either project the activity metrics they would like to achieve and then track performance against those benchmarks, seek to incrementally increase the performance on these measures, or simply report total activity quarter to quarter or year to year as evidence of program efficacy.

Performance measures are tied to economic and demographic trends in key categories that can demonstrate overall improvements in Stevens Point’s population welfare and economic impacts. Though they are positively affected by strategic implementation activities, they are more difficult for one organization, project, or program to impact directly.

Performance measures for the Stevens Point Strategic Plan could include:

• Net change in City of Stevens Point property tax receipts
• Net change City of Stevens Point sales tax receipts
• Total housing units developed
• Average housing cost of units for purchase
• Average rental rates
• Total job growth
• Total job growth in “green” industries
• Percentage growth of firms with under 50 employees
• Percentage growth of firms less than 5 years old
• Individual and household per capita incomes
• Average annual wages
• Total percentage of adults and youth living in poverty
• Adult educational attainment
• Number of adults spending more than 30 percent of income on rent
• Percent of commuters working from home
•  In/out-migration of prime working-age population groups
• Total lane miles of off-street pedestrian and bicycle paths
• Total acres of parkland per capita

The city of Stevens Point and its partners can work with the Placemaking Commission and Hub Associations to identify the appropriate tracking indicators to demonstrate implementation progress. Positive movement on these indicators should be part of the “sales pitch” the strategic implementation team makes to public and private investors.