COMP. PLAN UP FOR FINAL VOTE MONDAY
Wednesday, September 28th, 2011 -- 12:09 PM
Clark County?s 2030 comprehensive plan is coming up for a third and final vote in just a few days.Supporters of the document hope they still have enough support to get it passed, but momentum is not on their side.
Its passage looked like a sure thing in May when the first reading was approved 19-9. Support eroded a bit for the second reading in June, but it still passed on a vote 16-11.
The final reading was set for July, but the board voted 15-14 to delay the vote until their October 3rd meeting. In the meantime, plan supporter Steve Okonek of Chili was recalled and replaced by plan opponent Bryl Dahl.
One of the main points of contention between supporters and opponents is the impact not having a plan will have on a newly formed Ag Enterprise Area.
The 60,000-acre AEA in northeastern Clark County is set for official designation on January 1st, 2012.
AEAs are a new tool administered by the Department of Ag, Trade and Consumer Protection that provide [url=http://datcp.wi.gov/Environment/Working_Lands_Initiative/Farmland_Preservation_Tax_Credits/index.aspx]$5, $7.50 or $10-per-acre tax credits[/url] to farmers. The goal is to keep the land in production.
[url=http://www.cwbradio.com/news/index.php?p=news&fn_mode=fullnews&fn_incl=1&fn_id=5850]In an earlier interview[/url], Town of Colby chairman Larry Oehmichen said he was concerned land owners wouldn?t get the full $10 credit if the plan wasn?t approved.
The reason: In order to get the full $10 credit, the land must be zoned ?exclusive agriculture.?
The Town of Colby is zoned ?exclusive agriculture,? but there?s a question about the legality of the zoning.
The county has received a legal opinion that most of the county is zoned ?unrestricted.? Plan supporters believe the county must adopt a county comprehensive plan to release towns from the county zoning. Therefore, the Town of Colby may have adopted their zoning under the wrong statute, and it could be open to a legal challenge.
Plan opponents disagree. They say the ?unrestricted? zoning dates back to 1934 and the development of a ?forest and recreation? zone. The intent was to zone a specific area of the county, and leave the rest un-zoned.
We?ve contacted DATCP who confirmed a county does not need a comprehensive plan in order to have land in and Ag Enterprise Area, but said the question about increased tax credits was a bit more complicated.
We were referred to the state's zoning expert, who has not returned phone calls.
[url=http://www.wra.org/WREM/Jan11/SmartGrowthLaw/]READ MORE ABOUT CHANGES TO 'SMART GROWTH' LAW[/url]
[url=http://co.clark.wi.us/ClarkCounty/departments/planningzoning/comprehensive_planning.asp]CLARK COUNTY COMPREHENSIVE PLAN PAGE[/url]
Feel free to contact us with questions and/or comments.