Date: August 11, 2004
Conference Room 213 West Square Building
Meeting called to order by Chair Wiese at 9:12 a.m. It was certified that the requirements of the open meeting law have been met. Present were Zowin, Wiese, Borleske, and Cassity from the Committee; Tremble-Planning & Zoning Department; Jackson-Kelly-NRCS; Brereton-NRCS; Van Berkel and Pohle-LCD. Lehman and Craker were absent.
Adopt Agenda: Motion by Lehman/Zowin to adopt the agenda. Motion carried, all in favor.
Appearances: Assistant State Conservationist for Field Operations Patti Jackson-Kelly and Land Preservation Specialist Dave Tremble.
Adopt Minutes of Previous Meetings: Motion by Cassity/Zowin to adopt the minutes of the regular LCC meeting on July 14. Motion carried, all in favor.
Training events: Motion by Cassity/Zowin to approve the list of training events. Motion carried, all in favor.
Bills: Bill summaries were distributed to the Committee members. Motion by Zowin/Borleske to approve bills in the amount of $31,606.62. Motion carried, all in favor.
Correspondence: Van Berkel distributed copies of the latest Thursday Notes. Cassity may attend the WLWCA meeting regarding bylaw changes on August 19.
Van Berkel read an e-mail he received from Jerome Harms complimenting Carlton Peterson for his efforts on his wetland project in Dellona along Highway H.
Cassity brought up concerns from Excelsior residents regarding another proposed wetland restoration project. Neighbors are concerned about potential water backup onto their properties. Our survey data does show the extent of flooded area does not impact the neighboring parcels. LCD staff will check with the concerned landowners regarding the project.
Van Berkel received notification from DNR on maintenance needed on the Hemlock Lake Dam which is owned by Sauk County. The Sauk County Parks Department will address the noted items.
Van Berkel received a letter from a Lake Redstone landowner worried about silt buildup in their inlet. The letter was sent to DNR and copied to us. They asked for this inlet to be dredged. The only source for funding like this for dredging Lake Redstone would be through the lake district.
Verla Klingenmeyer sent a letter regarding deer population problems in Sauk County. She encouraged the Committee support any deer herd reduction proposals. It was suggested that DNR publications contain notice that Managed Forest Law land is open to public for hunting.
Committee instructed Van Berkel to bring future letters such as these up for discussion but not to provide copies. LCC members can request copies when desired. Van Berkel will keep them on file.
Van Berkel reported back on concerns discussed at the July meeting regarding a horse farm on Lake Virginia. The landowner voluntarily installed an LCD designed buffer strip in 1996 at their own cost to address this concern. The animal confinement area does not qualify for Narrows Creek watershed cost sharing since the nutrient runoff concentration is relatively low. If the Lake Virginia Association would want to provide cost sharing for added practices, the design and construction check could be provided by LCD. The proposed Schulter subdivision could have exacerbated the problem, but this was identified as a concern in the preliminary plot review, and modifications were made to eliminate runoff through the horse lot.
Van Berkel commented on the high number of letters and other requests received regarding natural resource issues and concerns. The public awareness appears to be greatly increasing while at the same time funds for staffing needs and operations are being reduced.
Reports: Patricia Jackson-Kelly introduced herself and explained that she is attending the Southwestern Area LCC meetings to meet the staff and supervisors. She oversees the federal programs and staff for the 12 area counties. She complimented Sauk County for doing a good job of utilizing the existing programs. Jackson-Kelly and Brereton briefed the Committee on the NRCS programs Sauk County is involved in and the federal dollars allocated to Sauk County. Jackson-Kelly thanked the LCD for their assistance as strong and positive partners.
Tremble updated the Committee on the status of the Sauk County Preservation Program/Agricultural Land Protection Program. He explained the background and development of the proposal. There will be a public hearing held by the Planning and Zoning Committee on the plan on August 24. The proposal could then be referred to the full County Board. The Program offers landowners outside the Baraboo Range area a way to protect their land through permanent easements. It is geared towards agricultural lands but will also allow enrollment of critical natural resources. It is a voluntary program. Currently agricultural lands are not being enrolled through the existing Baraboo Range Protection Program. Some start-up funding is available through the Highway 12 agreement. Additional funding would need to follow, and there are different ways to fund the program. Easement payments are generally equal to about 40-50 percent of the land value. Cassity suggested the Committee should support strong implementation of the Right to Farm Law rather than a Purchase of Development Rights Program.
Van Berkel informed the LCC that Sauk County cannot participate in the 2004 Venison Donation Program. The one remaining Sauk County processor, who had not responded at the time of the July meeting, has now stated that he is not interested in participating in this program for the $50 per deer offered. If a deer is shot in Sauk County and the hunter is interested in donating the venison, they can take it to Columbia County or Juneau County where processors are available.
Resolution Regarding Peper Claim: Van Berkel discussed the resolution to deny the claim from Peper arising from the auto accident with our summer intern. There is no specific dollar amount requested. The County insurance will cover all reasonable costs for Peper. Corporation Counsel recommended the denial of the claim. Motion by Zowin/Borleske to approve the resolution denying the Peper claim and moving it to County Board. Motion carried, all in favor.
Review and Approval of 2005 Budget: Van Berkel stated that at the July LCC meeting he was directed to prepare a budget request that would maintain the current level of staffing (10.56 employees). However, to maintain the current staffing level would require a total LCD levy request of $661,764, which is a 58 percent increase. Much of this increase would be to maintain staff presently working in the Narrows Creek Baraboo River (NBR) Watershed. Because the project ends at the end of the 2004 year, the county staffing grant will be reduced by $165,973. This reduction and the increased staffing cost due to insurance and other adjustments make up the bulk of the increase in cost.
Despite the fact that the Department is receiving more requests for assistance, and the fact that the number of requests will continue to grow with the new nonpoint rules, it would be difficult to request this increase. One frequent comment from Board members is that these positions were hired as project positions and need to be eliminated with the project completion. The Department previously eliminated 1.47 FTE of these watershed positions in 2003 - the Natural Resources Educator was not refilled when vacated, an administrative assistant position was reduced to ¾-time, and one summer intern was eliminated but subsequently replaced after receipt of a grant from Pheasants Forever to meet budget constraints of that year. The proposed 2005 budget eliminates another full-time conservation technician position and reduces two others from full time to 50 percent and 80 percent of full time. Combined with the 2003 reductions we have eliminated 3.17 FTE. When the Narrows Creek watershed project was started in 1989, the project added two conservation technicians and one administrative assistant. The present proposal does not include revenue from the proposed $50 per year farmland preservation participation fee. This fee may have to be reintroduced if the budget negotiations become difficult.
There could be some further changes if we receive more grant and contracting revenues. The LCD could also consider developing a proposal to provide construction site erosion plan review and enforcement. This is a new requirement for most of the towns in the County and there is some question regarding how this can be done and how it can be done effectively. LCD staff are well trained and qualified to serve the needs and permit revenues could offset costs. The unknown would be how many towns would choose this approach. Cassity suggested this may be a good approach for Excelsior where he is Town Chair. He is concerned that other service providers would not do a good job on construction site erosion control. Van Berkel suggested that if revenue increases, the first change would be to restore the 80 percent position back to full time. Second priority would be to not eliminate the conservation technician position. The third priority would be to increase time for the conservation technician position that was reduced to 50 percent based on the preferences of the staff involved.
Motion to adjourn until September 8 at 8:00 a.m. by Zowin/Borleske at 11:59 a.m. Motion carried, all in favor.
Kathy Zowin, Secretary