Conservation, Planning, and Zoning Committee Meeting

September 13, 2012 Minutes CPZ Committee Meeting (34 KB)

Conservation, Planning, and Zoning (CPZ) Committee members present: J. Ashford, J. Dietz, F. Halfen, J. Lehman, D. Nobs, D. Polivka, R. Puttkamer

Others present: P. Dederich, B. Michalek, C. Norgard, P. Pohle, P. Peterson, M. Stanek, B. Vaillancourt

At 9:00 a.m. Chair Lehman called the Conservation, Planning, and Zoning Committee to order and certified to be in compliance with the Open Meetings Law.

Adopt agenda: Motion by Puttkamer/Halfen to adopt the agenda. Motion carried, all members in favor.

Adopt minutes of previous meeting-August 28: Motion by Polivka/Ashford to adopt the minutes from the August 28 Conservation, Planning, and Zoning Committee meeting. Motion carried, all members in favor.

Public comment: Bev Vaillancourt appeared to recognize Penny Pohle’s efforts including Clean Sweeps and the Drinking Water Program that was recently held in the Town of LaValle and also thanked the Committee for all of their efforts.

Communications: Michalek updated the Committee on the property purchase in the Town of Dellona. The Highway & Parks Committee is meeting this morning and will receive an update on the purchase. The offer to purchase has been received back and will go before the full County Board in December. There are 50.5 acres and will pay $2,500/acre. The 44 percent county share will come out of a segregated account in the CPZ Department budget. This purchase was approved unanimously at the Property & Insurance Committee. Committee questioned what will be done with the property. Cannot build on the 80 acres, but trails and facilities could be built on the 50.5 acre property. CPZ Department staff were instructed to check if the property is in the Managed Forest Law Program. There was discussion on other options to use the funds available if this purchase is not approved. We have two years to use the money. DOT will likely take back their money if not spent. It has to be used for the purchase of properties or easements.

Dietz presented a flyer for the record from Bev Vaillancourt that Save our Unique Lands (SOUL) of the Kickapoo put together regarding alternatives to American Transmission Company’s proposed power line.

Lehman recommended that an article be placed in the next Conservation Chronicle about farm drainage issues and the protocol to put in drain tile. Stanek mentioned that now is a good time to put in the replacement tiling because of drought conditions. There was discussion regarding the newer technology, closer feeds, and that DNR wants new tiles put in the same locations as done previously and the new tiles are better placed closer together for better drainage. Their focus is on protecting the wetland. The CPZ Department has an ordinance which loosely regulates location. The NRCS, DNR, and Corps of Engineers also are involved in the approval process.

Review and possible approval of 2013 Wildlife Damage Abatement Program budget: Peterson provided background on the program. Sauk County contracts with them to administer the program. There is no county money used; 75 percent is from a DNR segregated account and 25 percent is from USDA Wildlife Services. The claims are pretty light this year. Unable to process budgets today but will provide the information and then next month the physical budget paperwork will be available for approval. The budget for covering salaries, mileage, equipment, and maintenance will be very close to $8,970, which is down about $1,200 from last year. Peterson discussed the status of bears, wolves, coyotes, deer, etc. in the area. Wildlife Biologist Becky Roth resigned, and until the position is refilled a technician at Tower Hill and Bill Ishmael are covering her workload.

Discussion on bid letting and possible action on conservation practices at the county farm: Michalek stated that $43,000 was budgeted for rental income on the county farm this year. We are receiving $59,000. The adjustment has been included in the 2013 budget. Looking for approval Stanek presented the first proposed project which is a new tiling system in the cropland fields. There are 21 acres, and the estimated cost to retile them is $21,000-$23,000. Old clay tiling cannot be repaired, and we are losing cropland because the old tiling is beginning to break down. Have approvals and determinations from NRCS. Need to have it done by the end of 2012. Next year we budgeted for the second project.

In 2013 the second proposed project is ditch cleanout, tree removal, and sediment removal with an estimated cost of $15,000 for one cleanout and $5,000 for the second cleanout. No mining permit required if designed through NRCS practices.

Motion by Polivka/Ashford to move forward with bid letting for tiling on the property. Motion carried, all in favor.

Lehman remarked about the invasives on the property. Staff will focus on those next year.

There was discussion on the corner property and questioned why it has not been sold to the neighboring property owner. Michalek stated that this has been referred to Property & Insurance. Committee instructed staff to get prices on properly abandoning the well.

Another future project may be to repair the corral.

Review and possible approval of conservation plan amendment for a Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) contract for James Roecker: Michalek informed the Committee that permission is needed to modify the CREP contract from a CP22 to CP29. Motion by Ashford/Puttkamer to approve the change. Motion carried, all in favor.

CPZ staff were instructed to look at the big piles of brush along the streambank at a location west of the county farm.

Review and possible authorization to forward the 2013 Surveyor budget to Finance: Dederich presented his proposed budget which includes approximately a $4,000 increase in wages, Workers Comp, and FICA. The number of hours budgeted will be the same as in the past, which is 412. The budget increase reflects the increased hourly rate set by the County Board resolution on March 20, 2012 for the next term of office for the Surveyor. Noted that major highway excavations for remonumentation would need to be covered under the County Road and Bridge Fund as spelled out in the statutes, though there has been no need of that for at least the past eight years and none anticipated for the immediate future. Motion by Halfen/Nobs to move the 2013 Surveyor budget to Finance. Motion carried, all in favor.

Approval for attendance at the 59th Wisconsin Land and Water Conservation Association Annual (WLWCA) meeting: Motion by Ashford/Polivka to approve Lehman’s attendance at the WLWCA Conference. Motion carried, all in favor.

Discussion and possible action on WLWCA resolutions: There are two resolutions that will be voted on at the WLWCA Conference.

Resolution #1-Regarding Increased Funding for Wisconsin AIS Programs: Committee not in favor because of the funding source; strike fifth whereas then would be in agreement.

Resolution #2-Fulfill Wisconsin’s Land and Water Quality Commitment: No objections. Committee identified that the eighth whereas could replace the fifth whereas in Resolution #1.

Discussion of Chapter 7 and the role the CPZ Committee or Board of Adjustment (BOA) should play in Special Exception requests: Michalek noted that the majority of the counties handle both special exception and rezoning with the CPZ Committee not with BOA. By adding the public hearings to the CPZ Committee, could add another meeting per month. Pros and cons were discussed with both routes. Michalek was directed to prepare a pro and con list and will have Simmert involved in future discussions.

Conservation, Planning, and Zoning Department

a. Department reports and updates: Michalek reviewed the department report and observed we are meeting and in some cases exceeding our goals.

b. Review and approval of vouchers: Motion by Halfen/Polivka to approve vouchers in the total amount of $10,758.99 ($150.00, $10,388.99, $220.00). Motion carried, all in favor.

Reports

a. Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) report: None.

b. Farm Service Agency (FSA) report: Norgard noted that his department is busy preparing for Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) and final Direct and Counter-cyclical Program/ACRE payments for the 2012 crop year in October. There currently is no disaster legislation administered through FSA; advise landowners to keep records in case something comes forward in the future. Nothing to report on the Farm Bill. Only emergency grazing was extended due to drought emergency and September 15 for haying.

c. Foresters’ report: None.

d. Economic Development Committee report: Polivka reported they went over budgets. Ken Lucht, Wisconsin and Southern Railroad, is optimistic that the Madison to Reedsburg line will be bought out. There will be a terminal put in Reedsburg for unloading trucks. There is a meeting with DOT on Hwy. 12 on September 19, from 2-4 in Room 213. Bug Tussel Wireless has requested the county to cosign a note for $2.7 million as part of a grant program to build more towers and expand service. Their assets would more than cover the risks. Was approved by the Communication Infrastructure Committee and Economic Development Committee.

e. Mirror Lake District report: Nobs stated they held their annual meeting on August 18. Assessment stayed the same for maintaining Mirror Lake. There are curly leaf weed problems in the lake. Jerry Collins was elected commissioner.

f. Lake Virginia Management District report: Nobs noted that their annual meeting was on September 8, and they have a made a great deal of progress organizing their lake district.

g. Lake Redstone Management District report: Dietz mentioned that they are interested in working with the county this fall on the bays’ sediment paths and to check dams. They could do sediment measurements to help determine where sediment is coming from. They will be having a lake fair and would like the county to be involved. They would like to know if there are any grants through the county or if the county could help to do natural plantings on their properties. Bergstrom and Koenig are working with the lake district. Koenig possibly do proactive presentations on water issues.

Next meetings of the Conservation, Planning, and Zoning Committee will be held at 9:00 a.m. on Thursday, October 11.

Motion by Ashford/Nobs to adjourn at 11:46 a.m. Motion carried, all members in favor.

Respectfully submitted,

Don Nobs, Secretary