Date: June 10, 2004
Meeting called to order by Chairman Wiese at 9:00 a.m. It was certified that the requirements of the open meeting law have been met. Present were Zowin, Wiese, Bernien, and Cassity from the Committee; Norgard-FSA; Brereton-NRCS; Van Berkel and Pohle-LCD. Lehman and Craker were absent.
Adopt Agenda: Motion by Cassity/Borleske to adopt the amended agenda.
Motion carried, all in favor.
Appearances: There were none.
Adopt Minutes of Previous Meetings: Motion by Borlekse/Zowin to adopt the minutes of the regular LCC meeting on May 13.
Motion carried, all in favor.
Training events: Motion by Zowin/Cassity to approve the list of training events.
Motion carried, all in favor.
Bills: Bill summaries were distributed to the Committee members. Motion by Borleske/Zowin to approve bills in the amount of $14,782.83. Motion carried, all in favor. Committee requested a Farming and Conservation Together (FACT) representative appear at a future meeting to discuss their program.
Correspondence: Van Berkel distributed copies of the latest Thursday Notes. The Committee will inquire if the Sauk County Home and Community Education group might be interested in making a quilt square representing Wisconsin's barns for the National Association of Conservation District's annual quilt raffle.
Van Berkel distributed information on how Brown County is handling the cost for staff working on the enforcement of the new nonpoint rules. They will be assessing an annual fee of $.50/acre on all agricultural land. This fee is offset by the reduced assessed value due to use value assessments and that explanation generally satisfies the concern over increased taxes and fees. The effort is to help maintain their LCD staff level after a watershed project closes.
Van Berkel noted the receipt of Joe Prem's signed cropland lease as approved previously for Wiese's signature. No Committee action necessary.
Wiese presented copies of a Town of Franklin resolution recommending final disposition of the former Dennis Nachreiner property. The Town recommends the parcel be rezoned to exclusive agriculture, the easement to protect the stream corridor be limited to a 20-year duration and that the entire parcel be offered to private ownership through a bid process. DNR also has made an offer to purchase the entire parcel, rezone it to agriculture, divide it and then resell or trade the cropland for added stream easements. The division of the parcel would not be allowed through exclusive agricultural zoning. Committee suggested representatives of the Town of Franklin and DNR be invited to a joint committee meeting along with a representative of the Planning and Zoning Office to discuss the future disposition of the parcel.
Reports: Brereton informed the Committee that signups for the Grassland Reserve Program will be starting July 21. There will be a teleconference on the program next week - more information will be available at the next LCC meeting.
Brereton briefed the Committee on the Conservation Security Program. The Lower Chippewa Watershed and a part of Rock County were selected for eligible areas.
Brereton informed the LCC that 33 applications have been received for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), and they are working to get them ranked. All of the applications may get approved.
Norgard stated that a conference will be held to discuss how to handle the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) in the future. There probably will not be a CRP signup this fiscal year.
The Farm Service Agency (FSA) received a request for the Emergency Conservation Program for major damage at Hwy. PF and Otter Creek. The FSA Committee rejected the request. Payment was made previously for this same area which is prone to rain damage.
Norgard stated that there is an election for a Committee member scheduled for the southern portion of Sauk County. FSA is trying to reach minorities and women to provide a more diverse representation and requested that if anyone knows of a potential candidate to let Norgard know.
Consider Approval of Fishery Easement Land as Part of Liegel CREP Enrollment: Ed and Mary Jayne Liegel presently have a fishery easement with DNR in place on a part of their stream corridor to allow habitat improvement work and provide for public access. The DNR easement does allow planting in the easement area with permission. Staff is now working with the Liegel's to enroll this area and additional stream corridor into CREP. This would provide additional stream protection, prohibit any tillage and qualify them for cost-share assistance to plant the area to native grasses. The Land Conservation Committee and DNR have to approve this overlap of easements. Motion by Zowin/Cassity that the LCC agrees to include the land owned by Ed and Mary Jayne Liegel, and enrolled under a streambank corridor easement, within the proposed CREP easement and to provide DNR with written notification of the same.
Motion carried, all in favor.
Review of Departmental Mission, Vision, Goals, and Performance Measures: Van Berkel reported on the timeline for 2005 budget preparations. Van Berkel distributed the Department's 2004 Mission and Vision. Committee discussed the previous year's mission and vision and did not see any need for changes for 2005. Motion by Cassity/Borleske to approve the Mission and Vision as presented for the coming year.
Motion carried, all in favor.
Van Berkel discussed the 2004 programs and short-term goals with the LCC and identified some of the changes that would be needed for 2005. More discussion and Committee approval will be necessary at the July LCC meeting as a part of the 2005 budget proposal.
Review Draft of Proposed Soil and Water Conservation Standards for Farmland Preservation Program: Van Berkel distributed a draft of new Farmland Preservation Program Standards. These will replace a previous version adopted in 1988. The changes incorporate the new state nonpoint pollution control standards as required by state law and are based upon the model guidelines provided by the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection. This is the first draft and will be discussed further at future meetings after review by DATCP and the Corporation Counsel. Van Berkel reviewed the important changes. The Standards also incorporate the fee structure adopted as a part of the 2004 budget. A notice explaning the fee was distributed at the Farmland Preservation meetings held this past winter. One needed change from earlier discussions is a limitation on our ability to collect fees from persons with existing agreements because they are only required to meet the standards in place at the time they signed the agreement. This could reduce our possible 2005 revenues. The standards do not require adoption by the entire County Board, just LCC.
Proposed Fee for Preparation of Cost-Share Agreement Satisfaction: Van Berkel discussed the time frame and staff time involved in preparing satisfactions for cost-share agreements. Watershed agreements are recorded with the Register of Deeds. They are tied to all contiguous acres and are meant to alert new owners that there are cost-share practices on the property. When ownership changes to a non-farm owner, they can request a satisfaction be filed if there are no practices on the property. The alternative would be to just allow the agreement maintenance time to lapse. Preparation of these satisfactions can take two to three hours of staff time and are often done on an urgent basis to get them completed in time for a closing. He suggested a $150 processing fee to cover staff time. Motion by Zowin/Borleske to charge $150 for a processing fee for satisfactions.
Motion carried, all in favor.
Update on Technical Service Provider (TSP) Qualifications: Van Berkel updated the LCC on some concerns regarding the TSP eligibility for Land Conservation Departments. Our Department has been working toward qualifying as a provider to allow us to obtain revenues for our work when we assist landowners who are participating in federal programs. Three LCD staff have been working towards certification as TSP's for various practices. There is now discussion that LCD's may not be eligible because representatives served on the local work group and this would be a conflict of interest. Also, there may be a concern because we are co-located. As an alternative NRCS is proposing 50 percent reimbursement through a cooperative agreement, if there is money available. It will be important to get this straightened out in order to budget any income in the 2005 budget.
Review and Approval of Farmland Preservation Agreement-Phyllis J. Albert: Van Berkel informed the LCC that the application is for a 10-year agreement, and Albert has agreed to meet all conservation plan requirements. Motion by Zowin/Borleske to approve a 10-year Farmland Preservation Program agreement for Phyllis Albert.
Motion carried, all in favor.
Motion to adjourn at 11:40 a.m by Cassity/Borleske until July 14 at 8:00 a.m. when the Committee will reconvene either in a joint meeting with the Transportation and Parks Committee if possible or for a regular meeting.
Motion carried, all in favor.
Respectfully Submitted: Kathy Zowin, Secretary