Richland County

Office of the Zoning Administrator

Courthouse

181 West Seminary Street

Richland Center, WI 53581

608-647-2447

 

RICHLAND COUNTY ZONING COMMITTEE

MEETING MINUTES

February 5, 2007

 

Item #1            Rasmussen called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m.  Those present were Richard Rasmussen, Marilyn Marshall, Bruce Wunnicke, Carol Clausius, Betty Havlik, Harriet Pedley, Mary Storms, Jon Rossing and Rufus Haucke.

 

Item #2                        Motion by Clausius, seconded by Wunnicke to approve the publication and agenda.    Pedley stated that the agenda had been published in the Richland Observer for two weeks and also posted on the bulletin board on the first floor of the courthouse.  Motion carried.

 

Item #3            Motion by Wunnicke, seconded by Marshall to approve the mailed January 2, 2007 minutes.  Motion carried.

 

Start of Public Hearing 9:01 a.m.

 

Item #4            The committee heard the petition of Keewaydin Family Farms, owners and Mary Haucke, buyer, to rezone 2 acres from Agriculture/Forestry to Residential-2 in Section 13 of Forest Township.  Rufus Haucke stated that they would like to sell 2 acres from the farm to their mother so she can build a home.  She plans on building a 20 x 40 two story home.  Pedley stated that initially Mary Hauke was going to build her home on the land owned by her children.  Her bank wants the land and the house owned in common.  Therefore, a split would take place and rezoning would be necessary.  Forest town board approved the rezoning request and no neighbors were heard from.  There will be a shared well with the farm but the new home will have its own septic.  Motion by Wunnicke, seconded by Havlik to grant the petition to rezone 2 acres from Agriculture/Forestry to Residential-2 in Section 13 of Forest Township.  Motion carried.  This petition will go to the next county board session on February 20th at 10:00 a.m.

 

Item #5             The committee heard the petition of Jonathan Rossing to rezone 5.71 acres from Agriculture/Forestry to Agriculture/Residential in Section 4, of Akan Township.  Pedley explained to the committee that this parcel was created after the township adopted county zoning.  This all came to light during a refinancing.  Rossing has lived at the site for the past 20 years.  An undated letter had been given to the Rossings signed by the previous zoning administrator, Clifford Drahiem, stating that (after consulting with a state office) a rezoning would not be necessary.  No one is aware of whom Mr. Draheim spoke with.  Pedley stated she had contacted Attorney Ben Southwick for an opinion.  Southwick stated that according to the zoning ordinance a rezoning would be necessary to bring the parcel into compliance.

Approval from the town board was received.  Motion by Wunnicke, seconded by Clausius to grant the rezone request of 5.71 acres from Agriculture/Forestry to Agriculture/Residential in Section 4, of Akan Township.  This petition will go to the next county board session on February 20th at 10:00 a.m.

 

Item #6             Eberle petition to rezone 10 acres from Agriculture/Forestry to Agriculture/Residential in two 5-acre lots in Section 1 of Dayton Township - Havlik stated that Eberle still has to attend the Dayton Planning Committee meeting so this petition was not taken off the table.

 

End of Public Hearing 9:22 a.m.

 

Item #7            Rockbridge Township Zoning Ordinance/Farmland Preservation – Pedley handed out copies of a letter she received from Paul Benjamin, of the Department of Agriculture, Trade & Consumer Protection.  Because Rockbridge Township has adopted their own zoning ordinance and it has an exclusive agriculture zoning district, DATCP will require the county ordinance and map to be recertified.  In his letter, Benjamin has made suggestions for text amendments.  Pedley will be working with Rockbridge Township and Paul Benjamin to have things completed by December 2007.

 

Item #8            Comprehensive Planning – Pedley stated she has been in contact with Ron from Southwest Regional and is still planning on getting the town boards and the town planning commissions together sometime in February to go over all their plans and see how to incorporate their wishes into the county plan.  Pedley stated she has received an opinion from Matt Stohr from Wisconsin Counties Association on what the relationship between a town plan and the county zoning ordinance is.  The letter states that each plan is just that, a plan.  They are not ordinances and should not be perceived as such.  Pedley stated that it is important that all the towns and the county are aware of the authority of all the plans and ordinances so we can use them for the benefit of all. 

 

Item #9            Discussion concerning creation of an additional zoning district – Pedley handed out a sheet with ideas for the committee to think about and make suggestions as to new agricultural zoning district.  She is suggesting a district with a minimum and maximum acreage and specific uses that would result in allowable animal units.  There needs to be something done as the Board of Adjustments has been getting a number of variance request for parcel sizes to the Agriculture/Forestry district.  The result of these variances is smaller parcels with unrestricted animal use.

 

Item #10          Friends of Richland County vs. Richland County – Pedley stated she had sent the committee comments from Attorney Yde.  She will advise the committee of any new developments.

 

Item #11          Zoning Violations

a.       Herbeck – Orion – Pedley stated she has looked at the court documents and the judge instructed Herbeck to get rid of everything that is not associated with his business and move it off site.  Things had been cleaned up for some time but now there is getting to be a collection of junk in the area again. 

b.      Bannister Property – Dayton -  Pedley stated Richard Wastlick had given her a copy of a letter that was being sent to Attorney Wilbur.  She will keep the committee updated.

Item #12          Report from the zoning administrator

a.       Recycling Committee/Junk Ordinance– Pedley stated that she attended another recycling meeting and a lot of the discussion was to have either a county wide or town-by-town junk car ordinance.  The members of that committee seem to think an ordinance adopted by each town would be the preferred way to go. 

Item #13          The next meeting will be Monday, March 5, 2007 at 9:00 a.m.  Motion by Wunnicke, seconded by Clausius to adjourn.  Motion carried.