DATE: October 22, 2007
Meeting called to order by Chair Wiese at 1:09 p.m. It was certified that the requirements of the open meeting law have been met. Present were Zowin, Lehman, Wiese, Borleske, and Cassity from the Committee; Van Berkel, Pohle, and Stewart-LCD. Joel Gaalswyk, Lowell Haugen, Warren Frank, and John McKenna from the public. Prem was absent.
Adopt agenda: Motion by Zowin/Borleske to adopt the agenda. Motion carried, all in favor.
Adopt minutes of previous meeting: Motion by Borleske/Zowin to adopt the minutes of the regular LCC meeting on September 27. Committee questioned the status of the resolution for Stewart to attend a training program in Mexico. Stewart decided to pay the local contribution rather than request reimbursement from the county and the request for time will be dealt with later on the agenda. Motion for approval of the minutes carried, all in favor.
Public comment not related to the Public Hearing: There was none.
Review and approval of vouchers: Voucher summaries were distributed to the Committee members. Motion by Zowin/Cassity to approve 2007 bills in the amount of $32,593.02. Motion carried, all in favor.
Review and approval of training events: Discussion continued regarding Stewart's attendance in the Puentes Program in Mexico. UW-Extension is covering about $2,200 of the cost for each person attending. Over half of the participants are dairy producers. The training is focused on agricultural workers and would offer the opportunity to connect with the farmers attending, learn of issues facing farm workers, and gain exposure to the culture. No County Board resolution is necessary for her attendance when there is not a county cost but approvals for paid time for training beyond 300 miles require approval from the Land Conservation Committee, Personnel Committee, and Finance Committee. The training will last from November 30 to December 9. Motion by Zowin/Borleske to approve Stewart be paid six days of regular pay while attending the training in Mexico. Motion carried, all in favor.
Motion by Borleske/Cassity to approve the list of training events. Motion carried, all in favor.
Motion by Lehman/Borleske to approve attendance for any LCC member to attend the WLWCA Annual Conference. Motion carried, all in favor.
Legislative updates: None.
Communications : Van Berkel noted a few items of interest on the one Thursday Note received this month.
Van Berkel received a letter from Meegan Thompson notifying the LCC that she will be unable to fulfill the appointment to the Southwest Badger RC&D. An opening still remains.
A letter was received from the Town of Franklin notifying the LCC about a hearing to abandon a small section on Hickory Road. It is a legal requirement to notify the LCC, but no action by the LCC is required. Gaalswyk informed the LCC that the landowner is petitioning to close the road on the north end of town very close to Highway 23.
Reports: Van Berkel reported that the LCC's budget was reviewed by the Finance Committee. The only change was the removal of the outlay request for a vehicle replacement in 2008.
Van Berkel highlighted a few of the items listed on the Department Monthly Report.
Presentation on development of the Land and Water Resource Management (LWRM) Plan: Stewart presented a summary of the LWRM Plan.
Public hearing on draft Land and Water Resource Management Plan:
Registering in favor-
John McKenna - Town of Spring Green. Complimented the presentation and the plan. He spoke of a conflict in the Town plan between developed areas and lands identified for agricultural production. He suggested the Department may have a role in providing comments on development plans.
Joel Gaalswyk - Town of Franklin. Referred to the Farming and Conservation Together group active in the county and emphasized the importance of successful farming to the economic development in the county. Suggested there needs to be a balance between reasonable regulations on agriculture and the growth of agricultural operations. There are approved BMPs that handle nonpoint pollution. The state spent a lot of time and money addressing the point source pollution, and now it is important to do the same with nonpoint runoff. Proper manure handling is already being practiced on many Sauk County farms and the same principles need to be applied to all farms to address the runoff problem. He encouraged the Committee to maintain the stronger rules proposed in the revised Animal Waste Ordinance. Farming is an important part of the economy, and he supports the initiatives identified in the plan to protect and grow agriculture while protecting our surface and groundwater.
Warren Frank - Lake Redstone. Spoke of implementation of NR151 rules and the need for implementation of these rules to protect the resources. He also questioned if the county intended to address the issue of manure spreading on frozen soils.
Haugen - Baraboo. Spoke of personal history in agriculture and experiences. Emphasized the need for new ways to address runoff pollution with larger operations and the need to work together with agricultural interests to solve these problems.
Registering in Opposition or As Interest May Appear - None.
Called for any other speakers. Seeing none, Wiese closed the public hearing.
Discussion regarding testimony on draft plan: Van Berkel noted there were not any specific items of concern at this time. There will also be a listening session this evening and another public hearing on November 14.
Cassity suggested the plan be presented at the Intergovernmental meeting this Thursday. He emphasized the plan is important and that we need to get the word out to the people. He also spoke of the need to get legislators to fund these projects.
Van Berkel will do a presentation on the LWRM Plan at the Towns Association meeting on November 15.
Plan for the reconsideration of Animal Waste Ordinance (AWO) Revisions, postponed from October 2006: Van Berkel suggested the department staff is too busy to address ordinance revisions at this time. He suggested that any action be postponed until January. At that time he would like to form an ag advisory committee to work on four major issues: review of revisions to ordinance, develop a procedure for how to implement the nonpoint rules, consideration of the livestock siting rule adoption, and the purchase of development rights. The group would meet several times over the winter to discuss these items. Motion by Borleske/Cassity to postpone the AWO revision discussions until January. Motion carried, all in favor.
Motion to adjourn until November 14 at 7:00 p.m. at the Kraemer Library by Borleske/Cassity at 3:10 p.m. Motion carried, all in favor.
Kathy Zowin, Secretary