In 2025, Centergy, Inc. worked with the North Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission (NCWRPC) to produce this study in response to growing concerns over housing affordability. This study recommends a variety of strategies and programs that each individual community may explore depending on their own needs to encourage the construction and rehabilitation of needed housing, along with recommendations for a possible Regional Housing Fund. The Centergy Region includes Adams, Lincoln, Marathon, Portage, and Wood Counties.
Adams County Housing Study 2025
In 2024, Adams County Economic Development (ACED), in partnership with the Adams County Housing Committee and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Partners Network (RPN) worked with the North Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission (NCWRPC) to produce this study in response to growing concerns over housing affordability. The Local Initiatives Support Coalition (LISC) and Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) soon partnered with ACED and Adams County to further enhance this project.
This project consisted of robust data collection, public surveys, public open houses, and stakeholder interviews to understand which housing types are highest in demand, and what barriers prevent an adequate supply of desired housing. This study recommends a variety of strategies and programs that each individual community may explore depending on their own needs to encourage the construction and rehabilitation of needed housing.
EMSI Reports – Economy Overview
We have been creating economy overviews for all ten of our counties along with Centergy and Grow North regions. We have reports from 2018 to 2024 – More information is about EMSI reports HERE. We also have historic reports back to 2013 if you are intrerested.
Adams County Economic Profile 2024
Every few years, NCWRPC updates basic demographic and economic development information in the form of County Profiles, which provide a snapshot of current economic trends and opportunities for economic growth. Included is a map of business park locations where acreage is available as well as contacts for various economic development agencies and programs.
City of Adams Outdoor Recreation Plan 2024-2028
The primary purpose of this outdoor recreation plan is to provide continued direction toward meeting the current and future recreation needs of the City of Adams.
Adoption of this plan by the Adams City Council and subsequent acceptance by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) will continue the City’s eligibility for Land and Water Conservation Fund (LAWCON), and Stewardship Fund money.
Non-profit groups, foundations, and the general public may also use this document to coordinate their own private efforts for developing outdoor recreation facilities.
Adams County Locally Developed, Coordinated Public Transit-Human Service Transportation Plan 2024-2028
Federal transit law requires that any projects selected for funding under the Section 5310 Enhanced Mobility of Seniors and Individuals with Disabilities (formerly titled Elderly and Disabled Capital Assistance Program) must be derived from a “locally developed, coordinated public transit-human services transportation plan”. This requirement was implemented as part of the SAFETEA-LU legislation and the requirement continues under the new transportation legislation, FAST Act (Fixing America’s Surface Transportation). The purpose of the coordinated planning process is to have stakeholder involvement in the assessment of elderly and disabled transportation, and to provide strategies and goals to improve those transportation alternatives. These coordinated plans were last completed in 2019 and are due to be updated for 2023.
Adams County Broadband Plan
The broadband strategy presented at narrowing the digital divide in Adams County by enhancing broadband connectivity and accessibility. Additionally, this strategy will pinpoint obstacles and objectives related to expanding infrastructure and promoting broadband adoption. Consequently, Adams County will be in a stronger position to seek and, hopefully, secure BEAD funding for broadband deployment.
Adams County Outdoor Recreation Plan 2024-2028
Adams County’s Parks & Recreation Department updates its Outdoor Recreation Plan every 5 years to identify essential outdoor recreation needs that affect the future of outdoor recreation in the County.
This Outdoor Recreation Plan (ORP) focuses upon County managed outdoor recreation facilities, and also list projects within the towns and the Village of Friendship. The City of Adams’ ORP and the Town of Rome’s ORP are both referenced in this plan. All listed nature based and active recreation based projects become eligible for competitive federal and state outdoor recreation grant money when this plan is adopted by County or local municipality by resolution.
Non-profit groups, foundations, and the general public may also use this document to coordinate their own private efforts for developing outdoor recreation facilities.
Town of Big Flats Comprehensive Plan 2023
The Comprehensive Plan explores potential issues that may have an impact upon the development of the Town over a 20-year planning period. As required by the state’s comprehensive planning law – 66.1001 – plans must be updated every ten years. The planning process for this comprehensive plan began as a public survey in late 2021, see Attachment F for details. In early 2022, the Town Plan Commission began a review of the survey and past plans and held a variety of Plan Commission meetings throughout 2023 to prepare the plan. A final Planning Commission meeting was held in Summer 2023 to review the final plan and recommend adoption of the plan by the Town Board, which adopted the plan September 2023.
EMSI Analyst – Lightcast
Timely, accurate, and effective reports
EMSI / Lightcast delivers economic reports to regional planners who want expert analysis and detailed, hard-to-find data. Our consultants combine EMSI’s comprehensive labor market data and seasoned economic analysis to produce reports that analyze a broad range of workforce, education, and economic development issues. Unlike other consulting groups, we mine our own data and tailor it to create effective reports that communicate to all audiences. EMSI’s custom economic analysis includes the following major types:
- Impact studies (education, workforce, and industry)
- Targeted industry/cluster analyses
- Workforce/labor market analyses (including competency analyses)
- Econmic Gap analyses
- Asset mapping
Another way to think about the work EMSI does is in terms of the questions we frequently address:
- What is the economic impact of a particular institution or event?
- Which high-growth industries are most likely to promote a region’s economic development?
- What comprises the regional workforce (in terms of the industry mix, number of jobs, etc.)?
- What are the region’s major assets (e.g., population demographics, employment, etc.)?