Richland County
Office
of the Zoning Administrator
Courthouse
608-647-2447
www.co.richland.wi.us/departments/zoning
Minute of the Richland County Zoning Committee Meeting
August 2, 2010
Item # 1 The Zoning committee meeting was called to order by Chairman Rasmussen at 9:30 am. Those present or who signed up to speak were Bill Seep, Ryan Elliott, David Guy, Gaylord Deets, Bob Holets, Virginia Wiedenfeld, Marilyn Marshall, Jim Lewis, Richard Rasmussen, Paul Klawiter, Darin Gudgeon, Harriet Pedley and Cheryl Dull.
Item #2 Motion by Holets, seconded by Wiedenfeld, to approve the publication and agenda. Motion carried.
Item #3 Moved by Chairman Rasmussen to declared the July 8 and July 20, 2010 minutes approved as presented.
Start of Public Hearing 9:32 am.
Item #4 The committee heard a petition from Ryan Elliott to rezone to rezone 1.06 acres from General Agriculture and Forestry District to Residential-2 District in Section 10 of Westford Township.
Discussion: Ryan has not gone before the township board or Board of Adjustments yet. Board of Adjustments is because the parcel is below 2 acres. Pedley told the committee that there was a CSM done on 1/30/91 which did not require approval from the county at that time. This had gone through 1 appraisal without getting caught but was caught this time. Wiedenfeld ask if 1 acre would have been legal in 1991 of which Pedley stated it would have been but it was not rezoned at that time. Bill Seep is present from the Westford township board to state he is not opposed to the rezone although he wondered why it hadn’t gone before the township board yet. Ryan explained it is on the agenda for the town board on August 5 but the way the meetings were scheduled the zoning meeting came before the town board meeting. Pedley explained the way the calendar falls they moved as quickly as possible but this is the way it worked out. Holets ask if they could buy more land which Ryan has already checked into and the neighbors do not want to sell any.
Neighbors heard from: None
Moved by Wiedenfeld to approve pending township approval and Board of Adjustment approval, seconded by Marshall to approve the petition. Motion carried.
Item # 5 Dave Guy is present to request for an appeal to a decision of the Zoning Administrator. Pedley explained to the committee that David had applied for a privy permit in 2009 which is a county permit. He never installed the privy and now has decided to put in a hold tank which is a state permit. Dave would like to use that fee for the holding tank of which $100 goes to the state. There is nothing in the ordinance that allows her to switch the funds around also this was part of last year’s income. Dave stated he is within his 2 years that the permit has not expired; he has done nothing yet for a sanitary disposal and would like to put in a better system. Dave is willing to pay the $100 state fee.
Moved by Holets to allow Dave to us the $225 towards the new permit and pay the $100 for the state, seconded by Wiedenfeld to approve the petition. Motion carried.
Item # 6 & 7 Mike is out of state. The committee does not have the bids to review. Motion by Jim to table the bid opening, seconded by Holets. Motion carried.
Item #10 Klawiter stated some counties thought the fees when recording a deed was to low and started a movement to raise those fees and they were successful in getting passed as 59.72(3m). Along with that the state passed a law that the budget needs to be over seen by a Land Information Council. Paul thought the current structure we have would work but has since found out this committee structure is not adequate.
(3m) LAND INFORMATION COUNCIL. (a) If the board has established a land information office under sub. (3), the board shall have a land information council consisting of not less than 8 members.
The council shall consist of the register of deeds, the treasurer, and, if one has been appointed, the real property lister or their designees and the following members appointed by the board for terms prescribed by the board:
1. A member of the board.
2. A representative of the land information office.
3. A realtor or a member of the Realtors Association employed within the county.
4. A public safety or emergency communications representative employed within the county.
4m. The county surveyor or a registered professional land surveyor employed within the county.
5. Any other members of the board or public that the board designates.
(am) Notwithstanding par. (a), if no person is willing to serve under par. (a) 3., 4., or 4m., the board may create or maintain the council without the member designated under par. (a) 3., 4., or 4m.
(b) The land information council shall review the priorities, needs, policies, and expenditures of a land information office established by the board under sub. (3) and advise the county on matters affecting the land information office.
Paul contacted Lee Marshall and Paul Breininger who was both interested. He also contacted Darin Gudgeon who was also interested as the public safety representative. Klawiter told the committee if we don’t have a council we are out of the program. Klawiter recommended that the Zoning Administrator be a member of the Council. There is nothing that states how often the Council is to meet but it was recommended that this go to Rules and Resolutions to ask that a council be formed to meet twice a year is something is going on or annually is nothing large is happening in the county.
Motion by Wiedenfeld to take this the Rules and Resolutions with the Council consisting of the Zoning Committee and all other required persons to meet a minimum of once a year prior to setting up the budget or to discuss where grant money should be spent as needed, seconded by Lewis.
Item # 11 3 members shall have a 1 year term and 4 having a 2 year term with the year term becoming 2 years at the end of their term causing a staggering of committee member change. Rasmussen, Lewis and Holets will begin their one year term with the last committee formation. Wiedenfeld, Deets, and Marshall will begin a 2 year term with the last committee formation. Warren has resigned from the Zoning and Land Records Committee. Pedley will contact Greenheck to get a 7th person back on the committee.
Item # 8 Pedley presented an e-mail to the committee that she received on July 30 that states we are officially certified. Pedley pointed out the couple changes that were made. Next will be 2 public hearings, of which Pedley will try to get a DATCP representative here. One of which will be held in the northern part of the county and one here at the courthouse. Pedley will go on the radio before the public hearing to do a public service announcement. Pedley will schedule the public hearings for August 25 and one for September 1 with it ready to go to County Board on September 21.
Item # 12 Pedley will be retiring on July 1, 2011. Things that need to be completed before then are Working Lands Initiative, remaining portion of the zoning ordinance, rewrite county address ordinance, figure out how to track the base farm tracks, rewrite land division ordinance, and rewrite the shoreland/wetland ordinance of which we have just received a $5,000 grant to rewrite. Now is also the time to consider or combine job descriptions and consider combining Zoning and Land information offices. Lynn’s job description should be considered to be changed to full time GIS which we would have to hire a part time person to handle WI funds and other duties to free up Cheryl’s time. Job descriptions should be rewritten to be more appropriate for the jobs. Pedley doesn’t feel it would be an option to diminish the pay because there is a job change. Wage wise you will not get anyone qualified at a lower wage. Bob suggested presenting to the committee the state wages for other county zoning office staff and county population size to the board.
Item # 13 None
Item # 14 Nothing to report
Item # 15 Next meeting is set for September 7 at 1:30 pm. Motion to adjourn by Deets at 11:20, second by Lewis. Motion carried.
Minutes respectfully submitted by Cheryl Dull