So, uh, today is August 27th. Have we
started recording yet? We started
recording. This is the planning
committee of Ashlin County, Wisconsin.
Today is Wednesday, August 27th. It's 1
p.m. And this is the beginning of the
planning committee meeting. And to begin
the meeting, we'd ask the role to be
called.
Now, one reminder, please. First, please
everybody speak into your microphones up
front, not sitting way back here because
it helps a lot for people to able to
hear and it helps the recording because
when we go to do the playback on
recording, if people's voices are way
back here, it's hard to hear. Okay,
thank you.
>> George Buset
>> here.
>> Bradley Ray is excused. Elizabeth
Franic.
online.
Okay. Uh Pat Kenny
>> here.
>> Gary Mertik
>> here.
>> Dan Grady is excused. Lisa Radkkey.
Charlie Ortman
>> here.
>> Paul Wilharm
>> here.
>> Thank you.
>> Okay. So it appears we do have a quorum.
That's seven of our nine committee
members here. So the next item is to
approve the agenda.
Is there motion to approve? And once we
get a motion, we can have discussion. Is
there a motion to approve the agenda?
>> I'll move to approve the agenda.
>> Mr. Ortman moves to approve.
» I'll second.
>> Mr. Wilharm seconds to approve the
agenda. Is there discussion on the
agenda?
Hearing no discussion, we vote on the
agenda. All those in favor of accepting
the agenda say I.
>> I.
>> Any opposed. So the agenda is approved.
So we'll move on to item number three on
the agenda which is for public comments
and we are open now for public comments
either online or in present. I see no
persons present for public comment.
We're asking to hear if there's anybody
online for public comment. Do we see any
telephone numbers or uh not seeing any
public online or present uh we'll move
we'll leave public comment at this time
and move on to approval of the prior
meeting minutes.
Do I hear a motion for approval of the
prior hearing minutes?
>> Move to approve.
>> Mr. Ortman moves to approve the prior
meeting minutes was uh July 21st. Is
there a second please?
» Wilharm will second. Mr. Wilharm
seconds. Is there discussion?
Being no discussion, we will vote. All
those in favor of approving the minutes
as presented, say I.
>> I.
>> Any opposed?
>> I
>> abstensions.
Um minutes are approved. Moving on to
item number five in our agenda. We are
now up to discussion items. Item 5A is
little fun facts or favorite things
about Ashlin County. Uh we'll go around
the room starting with Mr. Kenny. Any
fun facts of today?
Microphone, please.
I don't have any fun facts today,
Lissa.
>> Of course, I have fun facts. Um,
there's a great newspaper artic or an
article in the Glidden newspaper. Um,
Wisconsin State Park campground is rated
one of the best in the United States.
Any guesses?
Copper Falls is number 10 best campsite
in the United States according to a
national camping magazine and third best
campgrounds in the Midwest by another
Campground magazine. So, I thought that
was cool. And then I'll pass this
picture around. It's just kind of fun.
It's um from 1973.
It is Deputies of Ashlin County
officials are sworn into official
duties. Apparently, I think it's the
county board. It used to be called
Ashlin County Deputies 1973. I don't
know if that rings any bells, but I
thought I'd just pass that around. It's
fun. Maybe we know some of the people in
that picture who are representing the
county what, 50 years ago.
» Anybody else for fun facts? Mr. Murd?
No.
Mr. Wilharm, any fun facts?
>> I'll I'll work on some for next time.
>> Erica, anything?
>> Sorry, I only have scary facts in my
brain today. M.
>> Mr. Ortman,
>> my father used to run an engine on the
top of the ordo when the carry mine was
open in uh Ironwood area.
and I think it's the one that's sitting
in the
across from the old depot.
Yeah,
pretty cool. Thank you.
Autumn or Emily, you have anything to
say that's fun about Ashlin County? No.
Oh, you got to work on that. Uh,
you have anything to offer?
You know, you can't Oh, go. Uh so I work
also in the zoning department and we
have issued the annual permit for the
northern aged iron uh annual event that
happens every year out in hybrbridge and
Lynn Brenamman told me that Discover
Wisconsin has contacted them and we'll
be doing another uniquely um Wisconsin
video at their event. And so just keep
promoting Ashlin County,
» okay?
I have, you know, you don't know whether
you can trust what you do on online
research these days because, you know,
the AI summaries could tell you anything
that might or may not be true, but uh
this claims to be a documented from the
Library of Congress uh dated January
1937.
And it says that um it's from the
narrative of Mr. Leonard. Mr. Leonard
worked for the warehouser lumber company
and managed log drives for them. He said
following break up of the ice in the
lakes and rivers when sufficient water
was in the dams the drive would start.
The camps and independent loggers inland
along the tributaries of the main
waterways would blast and peeve the logs
from the rollways into the water and
drive to the main lake or stream. Upon
reaching Clam Lake or the West Fork of
the Chipa River, all logs were turned
over to the Chipoa Lumber and Boom
Company Corporation, the warehouser
corporation. The corporate drive on the
west fork covered about 160 miles from
Clam Lake to Flambo farm. From this
point, many logs went on rafts to
Lacrosse, Wisconsin, Winona, Minnesota,
Clinton, and Deuke, Iowa.
So, that's part of the history of that
southwestern corner of Ashlin County.
And uh this is a story that I maybe I'll
bring up next time. Does anybody know
what a wanigan is?
A wanigan
was a raft built of logs to go down
river with the with the drive. And they
were usually about 60 ft long and 18 ft
wide. You put a cook shack on one and a
tent shack on another. And this was like
the the floating living quarters for the
loggers that drove the logs downstream.
So that's my fun fact for today. Any
more fun facts?
Thanks to artificial intelligence. Yes.
Okay. So, going on beyond we move on to
item 5B which is the working status of
the Northwest Regional Planning
Corporation to work with us. And these
are the items uh requested by by Emily
Nelson who we have the pleasure of
having with us. So, for this part of the
meeting, I'm turning this over to Emily
and letting you proceed with uh what you
have to tell us.
>> Thank you. I'll start with an
introduction. Emily now Boucher as of
two weeks ago
um a community development specialist
with Northwest Regional Planning. I've
been there for about six years and then
with me today I have
I'm Autumn Tommy. I'm the assistant
planner at Northwest Regional Planning.
So I've been there in total just over
two years as in my position about six to
seven months.
And I will
looks like my screen is sharing. But I
wanted to begin by recognizing all the
work that this committee has done
already in preparing for the
comprehensive plan update process. And
the update is a little bit different
than creating the original plan. The
most extensive work was done in 2006
uh with and then with the 2016 update uh
serving as a refinement to that 2006
plan and now we're focusing on carrying
that work forward and ensuring that the
plan continues to serve as a useful
guide for decision-making in the county.
And since this is Northwest Regional
Planning's first in-person facilitated
meeting with the county, um I'd like to
start with an overview of the planning
process. Some of you saw this earlier
um as part of a county board meeting uh
this winter, but today we'll make sure
everyone is starting from the same
place. We'll walk through the update
process and some of the protocols for
that, a review of the timeline that we
have, and then to clarify the
committee's role and responsibilities
moving forward in the plan update.
So, Wisconsin statute 6610001
is the Wisconsin comprehensive planning
law. It provides the framework for
comprehensive planning in the state of
Wisconsin.
It requires communities to adopt a plan
that looks ahead 20 years and it is
defined as a guide to the physical,
social and economic development of the
county with an outlook of 20 years. The
statute also emphasizes implementation
meaning the plan has to include programs
and actions with measurable outcomes
within it. And then to remain effective
and legally compliant,
uh the plan has to be updated at least
once every 10 years. So that's why this
update is so important. It ensures that
the plan continues to be meaningful and
legally supported as a guide for the
county's decision-m
and then Wisconsin's. Yes,
>> this committee is a standing committee
as opposed to an ad hoc. Now on that
previous screen with updating every 10
years one of the questions I have as we
go through this planning process what
constitutes the plan having been updated
so let's say 3 years from now there's a
major issue that comes up we come back
to the comp plan a bit is there a
certain criteria level that's
>> that constitutes having been updated
>> within the statutes there's nothing that
defines what an update is but at minimum
it must include the public participation
plan adoption
and then um the 30-day public comment
period as well as the public hearing and
then the resolution by this committee
and then that would go to the county
board for um adoption of an updated
ordinance on the comprehensive plan. So
there's a protocol but not so much as
what the content revisions have to
include.
>> Okay. Thank you.
>> You're welcome.
So, does that mean at some point the
board couldn't decide to modify a
chapter or something?
>> Yes.
>> Without without a public hearing and all
that or could we have that done?
>> It is not complete until that formal
public participation process. But we we
could change it and live by it. And
>> yes, it's a living document that could
be continuously modified and should be
reviewed continuously and used
frequently.
>> But at least at 10 years, we would have
to get that looked at by everybody and
get their feedback on any changes we had
made prior to the
>> importance of that is that it then would
remain a legally defensible plan.
>> Thank you.
Uh just adding to Charlie's comment, it
occurs to me that is u that the planning
committee can recommend to the county
board subsidiary planning activities
within the context of the standing
comprehensive plan without altering the
comprehensive plan. In other words,
there's nothing to prevent a planning
committee from planning other things
that are fit within the context of the
overall plan. So if there's a specific
action that someone wants to bring
forward three years down the line and it
fits within the context of the plan,
then it can be brought forward to the
county board without revising the plan
per se.
>> Think you can change it actually. This
just a change that would have to be
viewed by the public. Yes. 10 years.
>> Yep.
>> Or however frequent or often changes
should be made or would like to be made.
Okay, just so I'm clear.
>> Yes.
>> Uh, microphone, please.
>> Sorry. So, just so I'm clear, we go
through all this and then we get it
approved and Dad Cap signs off on it and
then two years from now and we make
significant changes to a different
chapter, we put them in ourselves and we
live by them. That's okay. But we got to
present that. We could at any time
present that for official
but we have to do it at least in 10
years. Yes. But we can we can modify it
any way we like within that time frame
and live by it.
>> Correct.
>> And it's still official.
>> Then that cap has the responsibility for
the farmland preservation plan part of
the comprehensive plan. And then the
comprehensive plan itself, the Wisconsin
Department of Administration
only requires that every time that the
plan is updated that the ordinance
and the adoption date be provided to
Wisconsin Department of Administration
so they're aware of it.
>> Okay.
>> And they keep a database of all of the
um adopted plans in the whole state.
>> That's amazing.
>> I guess we need further discussion a
little bit. It's my understanding of the
statute that counties are required to
act consistent with their comprehensive
plan
uh with possibility for some exceptions
that are can be justified. So if there
were some kind of update that was
inconsistent with the plan,
then that would be out of bounds unless
it was a special situation and therefore
you would have to go through a public
hearing process to update your plan.
But you could have planning actions
subsidiary to the exist the plan to the
comprehensive plan. just everyday
planning action that is as long as it's
consistent with the overall
comprehensive plan, then it's fine. You
don't have to change anything in your
comprehensive plan. But it could be a
detail, an action item, a goal that is
consistent with your comprehensive plan
that you hadn't thought of earlier and
you can go ahead and move on that
without changing your comprehensive
plan. But if you want to change a major
principle of a comprehensive plan, then
you would have to go through a public
hearing process.
» Any other questions?
And then taking a look at the content of
the comprehensive plan, the
comprehensive planning law, that's
chapter 6610001,
requires that every comprehensive plan
covers at least nine topics which the
statutes refers to as elements and it
also specifies what needs to be included
in each of those elements. So the first
element typically in a comprehensive
plan I think that Ashlin counties is a
little different and put this at the end
of the document currently is the issues
and opportunities which serves as the
introduction to the plan. It's meant to
be the community demographics talking
about um key trends along with
projections for things like population,
household
and
uh land use.
And the second element is housing. It
looks at existing and projected housing
needs and trends in the county. The
third element being transportation
looking at anything transportation
related any of the different modes of
transportation as well as other sort of
planning documents related to
transportation that exist in the state.
And then utilities and community
facilities that describes the
infrastructure and the services that
support the residents of the county.
things like sewer and water, storm
water, schools, parks, um emergency
services.
The fifth element, agricultural,
natural, and cultural resources that
focuses on the county's physical and
environmental assets
as well as the cultural heritage. And in
a lot of cases, these can overlap. So
resource might be both natural and
cultural in the county. And that
probably occurs a lot in Ashlin County.
The sixth element is economic
development that looks at existing
conditions and strategies to support
businesses, the labor force, jobs, a
healthy economy. And then the seventh
element, intergovernmental cooperation
that highlights the importance of
coordinating with other jurisdictions,
neighboring counties, tribal
governments, school districts, and state
and federal agencies.
And then we have the land use element
that describes current land use
patterns. So that there's an existing
land use map of what's currently
happening today. And then a guide where
and how the future growth and
development of the county should occur.
And that includes a future land use map.
Looking 20 years into the future, what
sort of land use do you want in Ashlin
County?
And then implementation.
It identifies the programs and actions
needed to carry out the plan along with
any of those measurable steps to track
the progress of the plan within its
10-year lifespan.
So together, these nine elements create
a comprehensive plan framework to guide
the county decision-making over that
20-year period. So it's a plan written
with a 20-year outlook with a
requirement of being updated at least
once every 10 years.
And then as George was talking about the
consistency requirement. So the
comprehensive plan is an advisory
document but it still carries legal
significance.
And the statute states that beginning
January 1 of 2010 any new or amended
zoning land division or official mapping
ordinances have to be consistent with an
adopted comprehensive plan. and the
statutes defined consistent with to mean
the ordinance furthers or at least does
not contradict
the plan's goals and policies.
So the comprehensive plan by clearly
documenting community priorities
um it helps to strengthen the legal
defensibility of the land use ordinances
that are within Ashlin County and it
ensures that future development in the
county aligns with the county's vision.
And again the the comprehensive plan is
adopted by ordinance
but it's in itself it's not a
regulation.
Instead it serves as a guiding document
that provides a rational basis for
legally defensible land use decisions.
And an example would be that if a
property owner requests to reszone um
farmland for a housing development, the
plan, the comprehensive plan for Ashlin
County helps the county determine
whether that change would align with
community goals and ensures that that
decision is made in a consistent and
defensible way. Yep. I'm going to ask a
question and I really want to just leave
it as a question and not go off into a
long discussion on this topic as Charlie
and I and some others would. I'm on the
zoning committee for the county also and
Charlie are are on the farmland
preservation committee. We had a meeting
yesterday as Autumn knows and we talked
about the spreading of human septic and
the lack of information that we know. We
think we can be informed of a dot on a
map of every um square mile or section.
I think both terms were used. A section
is, you know, a mile by a mile. Um and
so as I think about housing and I think
about in Bayfield County, land I own
just a bit over a quarter mile east is
one of the bigger sites where this stuff
is spread. Thankfully, the wind is
usually blowing from my place to theirs
so I don't have to deal with it um
except occasionally. But if we think
about zoning and housing and PAS in that
septic, and I understand why the
government doesn't want to tell you
exactly who's fighting what where
because of the complaints because we
went through that 20 years ago when that
started in our neck of the woods. So I
understand the government not wanting to
tell that. But I also think about as we
do zoning and people wanting to drill
wells, raise a garden vegetable. So we
know the PAS comes up into you know
plants it can bioaccumulate including in
the hay. My so my question is and this
is just to take back and for a later
date is how do we make an informed
decision about the risks of the land
that we might designate for housing or
housing developments so that as a county
we're doing the best we can to help
people understand
the property on which they might be
living or building and so that someone
doesn't later say well I wish I would
have known and who do I blame and who do
I why sue and so that's the question I
have um Jason yesterday with our meeting
in autumn you can talk to Autumn on the
way back if they wrote together. Um I
think it's becoming a more important
question and I don't know from a zoning
perspective how we wrestle with that.
I think good to think about both as a
full committee but also good for
Northwest Regional Planning to think
about as someone on the outside
facilitating the process.
Can I ask a quick um question? Is is
there something then in mapping like an
overlay that would map out where land
was that was spread? Is that something
that you would put in your land um
mapping and land use chapter?
you want?
>> Well, I'll say it so she doesn't have
to. Um, we have there's dots on the map,
but they are not specific enough so that
we know which property it's on. We don't
have history. We don't have if it's
actively used or not. And so like I'll
say Bayfield County, I'll take it out of
Ashlin County, my property, a dot on the
map there, um it would not delineate
between where it's being spread a bit
over a quarter mile east of me, nor my
property. And so if I were looking for
property to build on, and trust me, I
get people that ask me if I'm ready to
sell. Um I think people want to know the
history of what's there. But if so, if I did want to sell at some point and
this map shows that there's something
being spread potentially there, I also
want to be able to tell people no,
there's not. That map is not precise
enough. So, they just won't give us that
history because it's a permitted use and
for whatever reason, I think they just
don't want push back from the public.
It's not information that they share
with the public, which surprises me
because I would really like to know the
history of what land has been permitted
and they track the records and the usage
there just so people when they buy and
sell land and think about putting in a
house, raising a garden. Um, I would not
want to raise a garden in soil where
there's a history of spreading that,
especially in the era of
pharmaceuticals, you know, stuff that's
not breaking down. I wouldn't want to
raise a garden there. And yet people are
putting in gardens in places and they
don't know that history. And I it might
be a Wisconsin legislature issue that
somebody has to bring forward to them.
Um but locally, no, we can't get that
information is our understanding at this
point.
Darling,
>> I'm pretty sure it would have to be
released for the Freedom of Information
Act request, but just on the face of it,
for the reasons Pat stated and now that
we can see the other issues, not just
farmers, but we need to know that stuff.
We need a profile of all the pollution,
potential pollution, and we need to know
how far it's spread off. Just cuz it's
in one spot, we need to know that exact
spot. And then we need to be able to
test to see where if it is polluted,
it's stopped. What are the boundaries?
And right now it's there's no push to
when we ask we get no no not now. And then the rather large X they give us
for a for a spot and there's over
there's a hundred plus of them just in
this count. So I might do an FOIA just
>> FYI. So this raises a question, right?
So, this is for future consideration.
And I think we've got the question.
Maybe we could carry on.
>> That sounds good. I just have one quick
question. This is where county comp
plans always um sort of confuse me. So,
the last slide is um the comp plan does
not have the same rule of law, so to
speak, as an ordinance. But um Bayfield
County just went through the sighting of
a cell tower which in their plan comp
plan said we don't want such things
because of aesthetics and egg
>> aesthetics and that kind of thing but
the tower went in. So it's how how do
how are decisions made that might go
against a comp plan? They just like an
overrule of
>> Yeah. So if a sounds like it was not
consistent with the comprehensive plan
for that decision, but if there were no one came forward with any um legal
issues related to that um it moved
forward.
>> Point of information, I hope I'm not
remembering this incorrectly, but I
believe the uh the last comprehensive
plan was adopted as an ordinance, which
is kind of interesting point of view,
isn't it? Yep.
A comprehensive plan is adopted by
ordinance by the governing body. So that
would be the county board.
>> That would make the count county plan
comprehensive plan the law under the
ordinance.
>> Sorry, I thought that last slide said my
not compreh comprehensive plan does not
equal an ordinance on your last
>> not in and of itself, but it is adopted
by ordinance.
>> adopted by an ordinance.
>> Yes. in itself it's an advisory document
and then the legal standing comes from
this consistency requirement for
anything land use related.
>> So that's the key word the consistency.
>> Mhm.
>> Okay.
>> And then there's also that same
consistency with the farmland
preservation plan and the comprehensive
plan
» on the cell tower. It's similar to say a
gravel pit or spreading septic. There's
it's a permitted process that's legal
and if you go through the process, you
get your permit. So whether people want
the cell tower or not, the state has a
process where you can get a permit for
that. So you can't be more restrictive
than state or federal law. So for
example, if a township says, "Nope, we
don't want human septic spread in our
township." Well, if you meet the
requirements for the DNR through the
permitting process, you can spread. And
same with gravel pits and other things
like that. And so, as we go through this
comp plan, it's really helpful um to the
extent that we can be be aware of where
what our limits are on what we can
restrict because it might be, oh, we
don't want this, that, or the other. But
guess what? if it's um allowed and
there's a permitting process, the best
we can do is say like with the kayo is
say, okay, townships can still have
weight limits, you know, so you can't
haul loads that are too heavy in the
spring and wreck your road. So townships
can do that because that is allowed to
have weight limits, but there's other
things that you, you know, you just
can't control. So
>> important to remember.
>> Yeah. And cell towers fell into what
happened there. There were people that
were concerned, but
>> yeah, I've seen that a lot in smaller
towns with the recent expansion of
Dollar Generals around. Towns don't
necessarily want to have that kind of
development, but they follow the process
to do so.
And then back to the presentation, the
public participation plan.
This is something that is a formal
document that's required by the
comprehensive planning law.
And to meet that requirement, the county
board approves a formal public
participation plan which lays out how
the community members will have
opportunities to be involved or be part
be um asked to participate um in the
plan update process. And this committee,
I know, played an important role in
shaping that formal document, the public
participation plan. And I understand
that that public participation plan was
formally adopted by the county board
this July. And this is also a sort of
living document that can be amended as
we go through the planning process.
And then the planning committee. So as
the planning committee, you all play an
important role in the process. You serve
as a sounding board for any feedback on
the plan update. You're the entity that
helps to encourage um community
involvement in the plan update process.
And then you're also the reviewers of
the draft plan materials and you share
your comments in your local perspective
and your local expertise.
And then at the end of this process,
you'll also be the entity that
recommends the draft plan to the county
board for approval. And then Northwest
Regional Planning's role in this is to
facilitate the process, provide any sort
of technical expertise that we can, and
then help to prepare all of the plan
materials and make sure all of the
statutory requirements are met for the
update.
and then a community survey.
Um, as part of the scope of this plan
update,
it includes the opportunity for
deploying an online public survey or
community survey to help inform the
comprehensive plan update. So within
this capacity, Northwest Regional
Planning would assist with survey
question development. Um set up that
survey using a platform called ARGIS
survey 123
and then at the end of that prepare a
summary report to analyze those survey
results so that we could use those
throughout the uh plan update review.
And then the county's role would be to
help provide input on those survey
questions, distribute and promote the
survey through any of the channels
available, website, newspaper, radio,
and then again using those survey
results to help guide the update. Is
that I want to make sure that's
something we want to do for this update.
First of all,
moving forward with a community survey
because that's something we'll want to
do right away. One of the first things
we'll need to do is um the survey
questions.
» Uh if I'm recalling, I think we agreed
at our last meeting that we would want
to do the survey.
>> Okay.
>> I'm trying to remember whether I
volunteered to help with the qu
questions, but I don't think we have the
questions together yet.
>> Uh Pat,
>> I do know that we this we can talk about
it more in depth at um I think later on.
there's an agenda item for the survey,
but I do have some example survey
questions. And then I know that there
was a 2006 survey that I have not seen.
So I don't know if any of those
questions we could also use for this
update.
» Anybody else comments?
Okay.
» Are you going to use the same questions
through each of the formats that this
would go out in?
is so this would be only enough capacity
for an online community survey. So, my
comment on this is going to be, and I
know you guys know this, Ashlin County
at the moment doesn't have the greatest
of internet access throughout the whole
county, but hopefully that's changing
because we've got some grant money
coming in. And so, if you do online
only, you're going to get a heavy bias
towards those with internet access means
the city of Ashland voice will be louder
than the southern part of Ashland. that
could bring a bias into the results
because of the rather large difference
in internet access. So we'd want to try
to make sure we get a representative
>> think about
>> example or at least the data that you
collect if you can tell somehow where it
comes from you know say butternut and
glidden if there's a question that
identifies hopefully there is where they
live
>> then you might wait you know because
you're going to get fewer responses from
some of those areas because of less
internet access but then you wait those
to balance out I would assume a higher
response rate from within the city
>> and then in some of those areas is are
there public spaces that do have
internet access like town halls or
community centers or libraries that you
could direct people to?
>> Not not in the southern part, but what
we could do is make sure when the survey
goes out, we send it to the town of
>> Yeah, that's a good idea.
>> Then at their town meeting, they could
bring it up and say, "Hey, does
everybody aware that there's a survey
out there?"
>> Um because smaller towns, that's kind of
the hub of information. But if we had to
and we have all their addresses, all the
town
chairman and that we could send it to
them.
» And I would offer that extension could
help with a hard copy version. I've
already been doing some preliminary work
with um seniors through different groups
I'm working with that might not ever
even if they have broadband might not
access an online platform. But if we
gave them a print copy, you know, we
could help with the um data input
because I know how those surveys online,
they just start calculating responses,
but if you got paper copies, you know,
we could help with inputting it into the
system somehow.
>> Sounds like it could be a good
progress toward a solution.
edges of the
8,000 people.
>> Can I use this microphone, please?
>> I'm sorry. I was suggesting that we
spend uh we look at spending the most
trying to reach the outer edges of the
county because the city of Ashland is is
all coll-located and easier to reach
through, you know, other means than the edges
um like notices in the paper and things
like that. So an online survey Pat was
mentioning would would tend to skew the
results towards Ashland City because
we've all got internet. So take that
money for the online you would do here
and find other better means to reach the
edges because it's very unlikely we
won't get input enough input from the
city of Ashland regardless of what we
use. Just my thoughts. Thank you.
Uh, so that's Liz online.
>> Yes, I'm on the phone.
>> Okay. Just want to make sure everybody
knows that you're here. That's Liz
Franic online. Okay.
Give it back to you, Emily.
>> Right. All good thoughts on the survey.
We'll talk about it more, too.
» And then the actual plan structure, the
physical document
is made up of three main parts. The
first is the background report which
examines the current and historical
data, looks at the trends and develops
forecasts for the future. And that's
your volume one of your comprehensive
plan. And then is there's the mapping
also found in the volume one which are
all of the maps that visually show
resources and conditions found in the
background report
as well as a map representing the
county's vision for future land use. So
that's the future land use map. And then
the third component that's found in your
volume two of your comprehensive plan is
the vision and the implementation which
sets our goals and our objectives the
desired future conditions for Ashlin
County and outlines actions for
achieving the comprehensive plans
vision. Yes.
>> Okay. So I have a a question on this structure. Um, it's puzzling to me
to start out a document of this nature
with background information. It makes
sense from a developmental point of view
from developing the plan. But if I'm a
user, I'm someone who's thinking to come
to Ashlin County from Minneapolis for
business and I want to look into this
plan,
I really expect to see the vision and
the uh the opportunities and risk and
opportunities up front and the
background in support of that. So is
there a reason that we've put background
as the first element? I don't understand
that.
>> As far the volume one and volume two
that currently exist
>> Yes. Yeah. Why why is the background
information volume one instead of the
vision being volume one?
>> Is anyone who was a part of the previous
>> from Oh, go ahead.
>> Well, part of it was um all of that
background data is supposed to be the
information that drives your goals and
objectives and actions. And so, um, the
main reason is here's what your county
looks like. Here's what your issues are.
Here's what your challenges are. And
from that, you develop your goals and
objectives and strategies. And, correct
me if I'm wrong, Gary, you're looking at
it, but in the very beginning of part
one, I thought it had the um um like
issues and and
trends.
Yeah. in the first part. Um, but you
know, I helped the town of Morris write
an emergency operations plan and we had
that same question. So, we just moved
all of the actions to the very front and
there's an emergency, you grab that
plan, everything you need to do is right
there. I think you could get away with
changing the order, but really because
they're physically separated, it seems
like it's easy enough to find your goals
and actions. And hopefully there's money
somewhere to make a user-friendly
version of just the actions, vision, and
um objectives.
when you were speaking
>> you sorry when you were talking I was
like that makes a lot of sense why
didn't we think about it but we were
thinking just like Lisa described so uh
I think from a user's point of view your
view yours it's like getting the
executive summary last now we have it
and and the executive summary should be
first so if we want it to look at this
more as a public-f facing document we
should reorder it um for ease of
construction. The way it was is is the
way it was.
>> Erica,
>> so I think we might be thinking um a
little too strictly about what the
comprehensive plan is. So this is the
formal document that meets all of the
requirements and has all of the info.
The way that we present that to the
public could be completely different. uh
as Lisa said, could consolidate, could
forward, could minimize, right? So I I'm
not sure what the problem is in, you
know, version one versus version two. Um
because nobody is going to read 300
pages when they want a brief overview of
Ashlin County, right? And and what our
goals are. They're going to go right to
what we point them to ultimately.
So Emily, is there a reason to be one
way or the other?
>> I would say similar to what Lisa
mentioned is that the background
information is there because it is meant
to say where you are now and then you
have the forward thinking where you want
to go and how will you get there is that
second visioning and implementation
part.
Is there any legal constraint on how
it's presented
>> as far as
um as
>> which comes first?
» In general, the issues and opportunities
comes first. In most situations, there
aren't two volumes of a plan. Usually,
it's one plan as it is.
Um
>> Okay. So, let me add on to why I'm
thinking about this. And so, this is a a
real question for you, Emily. and and
autumn as I've looked at the plan as we
have it currently constructed 2016 plan
the division of responsibilities here in
as I'm thinking about is that the
background data is something that we're
looking to Northwest regional planning
to do the update so I'm not looking to
members of these committees to be doing
the update for the background
>> Northwest Regional Planning will update
all of the current like update the
census data um the actual factual
information with all the public sources
that we have and then we would provide
that updated um draft probably to the
usually it's the subcommittee since you
have established subcommittees for plan
elements to review that and provide any
of the local expertise any updated
studies that we might not know about any
inner knowledge that you might have to
then update and um make sure that fully
represents where you want to go for this
update.
>> Okay. So, so that makes complete sense
to me. We're looking basically we're
looking to Northwest Regional Planning
for the first draft of the update then
to get reviewed by committees. So, then
let me say that what I've been thinking
as a chair of the committee is that the
respons primary responsibility of the
elemental subcommittees as well as
reviewing that data when it comes
forward is to review the vision and the
goals and objectives. part of in other
words
>> yeah that's
>> the goals and objectives part the
forwardlooking part of the plan is the
responsibility of the subcommittees and
I just want to make sure that we're kind
of on the same page there any comments
» I don't really care the order of it um
but this reminds me of I bought a new
tractor a couple years ago and I ordered
the manual and last winter I thought you
know I'm going to actually read this
thing cover to cover and I got partway
through doing that and I had to stop I
did read the city of Ashlin comp plan
cover to cover twice back in 2010 when I
ran for council. That was really
ownorous. Um, and I'll never read a comp
plan cover to cover again. What I want
in a good comp plan or manual is I want
a really well organized table of
contents. So, if I want to know how many
quarts of oil, what the air pressure in
the tires is, things like that, it's
easy to find. And then I want a good
index in the back. So when I look up
some of this stuff, I can find what I
want quickly and easily. So it's
extremely user friendly because as I
look at the comp plan for Ashlin County,
I I'm not going to read it cover to
cover, but I do want to be able to find
what I'm interested in fairly quickly
and easily. And if any of you have ever
looked at tractor manuals and some farm
equipment manuals, they could not make
it harder to find the simplest of things
like if you want to change the oil, you
know what oil and filter, even the tire
pressure and stuff. It's crazy um how
hard that is. How you know it just is. I
want it to be really user friendly
regardless of the order of the chapters
in there.
And then that's table of contents and
that's index.
And then after that it really doesn't
matter because you're looking stuff up
anyway. And flip into the page they give
you.
>> And maybe this is a good decision to
make once we see everything all updated.
We have more of the pieces to take a
look at as a whole.
So are you up to now uh timeline and
responsibilities? Is that where uh
>> I am not yet. So then we have the um
actual process. So the first would be
for Northwest Regional Planning which
we've already started is to revise the
background report using all of the
sources and resources that we have to
update the statistical data any of the
tables, charts, graphs and then we're
developing those new forecasts based on
that. the current information for
housing, population, land use and then
updating the narrative um to match that
updated statistical data.
And then the second would be the review
of the issues and opportunities
from the previous plan and update those
to reflect any new or emerging
challenges. So issues those are
challenges that could affect the
county's goals or require attention
while the opportunities are areas for
improvement or positive change that the
county could act on. I know that earlier
extension had worked with National Park
Service about um some extreme weather
event climate resilience
um meetings with stakeholders and um
experts on certain subjects. And I think
there are reports that we could um take
a look at when we update the issues and
opportunities for the comprehensive
plan.
And then I know there are also
departmental surveys that went out this
spring that we should also take a look
at when we're updating the issues and
opportunities list for the plan.
And then after yes,
>> as we all know, Northland College
changed. When you get around to looking
at population,
um the state has projections for Ashlin
County going out. I think it's a 2050
now about the total population,
different age groups and stuff. And I
looked at the methodology um a couple of
months ago on how they come up with
those projections. And they use census
data basically. So the North and
students um should be included in the
census data when it's taken. Whether
they all were or not, I don't know, but
they should have been included in that.
And so in that data, you know, one of
the things that they look at is women of
childbearing age. And so with the
college closing,
we had a change in our demographics
here. And I don't know how accurately
the state projections are going to be
given that change. And so when you look
at the population demographics and
projections,
I don't think we can rely entirely on
what the state has because of, you know,
they're using sensitive data and that
currently doesn't reflect Northland
closing. So I think we'd have to dig a
little deeper to come up with whatever
we come up with.
>> We'll take a look at that when we
update those sections.
So I think it's as of April 1st where
you are for where you're counted in the
census.
April 1st of the time that you're taking
the census
>> but in 2020 the students would have been
here and the number of students was
higher then than it was when they
closed. I
>> think the 2020 census also has the added
complication with numbers because of the
pandemic.
Good thinking.
>> And Emily, I don't know if you'll need
this, but before Northland College took
their web page down, we our office
downloaded lots of their center for
rural development.
>> That would be nice.
>> I can forward those to you
>> because there's lots of plans and
studies that they had.
>> Okay. So,
>> I would Yes, please.
And then a review of the vision
framework. So that's the goals and
objectives and the vision statement.
And then I know similar to the issues
and opportunities, we have the
information that we can also take a look
at from those extension national park
service meetings about extreme weather
to consider and then um those
departmental surveys to take into
consideration when we review the vision
framework.
And then we have the strategy review. So
that's a review of the action steps and
the action plan
updating those as needed to reflect
current priorities. So the action plan
outlines each step including who's
responsible when that action will be
completed
uh the resources needed to complete that
action and then a column for evaluation.
So, what additional resources might be
available?
And then step five, identify any new
action steps.
In doing so, thinking about do any of
the current or forecasted issues and
opportunities that we took a look at
require any new action steps? If there
are any new goals or object objectives
identified to have supporting actions,
is the county better today to accomplish
certain strategic actions than um maybe
it was in 2016 and are there any
additional resources that we can use
now? And then considering any new
studies or plans that have been
developed, I know that Ashlin County
recently updated their hazard mitigation
plan.
And then the mapping also a step that
Northwest Regional Planning will be a
major part in
the resource mapping will be primarily
handled by our GIS specialists. It's CLM
Lararsson. We'll update all of the maps
using any new and updated GIS data. And
while some of the um underlining data
like the soils maps for instance won't
change, we'll still take advantage of
the latest GIS technology to produce
refreshed layouts and imagery for all of
those maps.
And then the existing land use mapping,
that's identifying the current land use
in Ashlin County. And I think as a part
of the farmland preservation plan
update, we we already have um this
information from Ashlin County. So we'll
review that map as a full committee.
And then based on that existing land use
map, take a look at what the county
would like the land use pattern to look
like in 20 years.
Last time you did this at a uh county
scale, which we can do again this time.
And then
the
steps for plan adoption would be to
compile and finalize all of the updated
data and information into a draft plan.
Um and then once we have all of that, it
would be a preliminary draft plan that
we could um send out for public review
and h conclude that with a public open
house.
And typically that includes Northwest
Regional Planning facilitating a sort of
presentation on what we have updated and
what we found as a part of the plan
update process and then open that up for
um public comment and questions.
And then after that the um this
committee would approve a resolution
recommending the updated draft plan be
approved by the county board.
At that time a the county board receives
that resolution from this committee. A
public hearing is scheduled
the designated body which is typically
the county board and it often the public
hearing occurs um prior to the county
board adoption of the ordinance. listens
to any of the public testimony related
to the draft plan.
And then the county board could send
back feedback
um or send back the plan if there are
any edits that are needed and um provide
any feedback.
And if there are no changes, the county
board formally adopts the updated plan
by ordinance. The plan is distributed to
specific entities that are described in
the statutes. So that's um local
libraries, neighboring jurisdictions, uh
Northwest Regional Planning,
and then we'll also provide all of the
data that we have collected, the GIS
data, any um PDF and Word document
copies of the plan, any print copies if
those are defined in our contract, and
then that 10year cycle for the
comprehensive plan begins again.
And then you have the implementation and
putting that plan to work.
And now we're on the timeline
discussion of timeline and
responsibilities.
This is a a broad look at the timeline.
Uh, so it'll be we're looking at about a
12-month period for the actual plan
update process with this committee,
concluding hopefully having a
preliminary draft plan by August of 2026
and then holding a public open house on
that preliminary draft plan in October,
the resolution, the formal approval of
the draft plan by this committee, which
could then go to the 30-day public
comment period as required in the
statutes. And then um no later than
January 2027, the county board ordinance
adopting the updated plan,
>> Emily.
>> So does January 27 meet the statutory
requirement for filing or does it have
to be in 26
>> or are you talking specifically for the
grant?
>> You're going to file this with the
state?
>> Yeah, that's fine. But I don't know if
the the um planning grant has any
specific I think it was the spring of
2027
that this
needed to be completed for uh grant
reporting purposes, but no requirements
for the actual approval of the plan
specifically for the Wisconsin
Department of Administration
um for the comprehensive plan update
side.
>> Okay.
Um,
and then
any questions on any pieces of the
timeline?
>> Right. So, as I'm thinking about it,
each of our subcommittees will
be needing the input of the updated data
from the background element relative to
their element and it's going to be hard
for subcommittees to have their own
public access hearings until they get
that data. So,
>> when when do you think you might have
the first draft data available for the
subcommittees? because I'm thinking we
ought to be, you know, getting something
fleshed out by early early of the year.
Stepping back a little, I just wanted to
make sure that I understood
which commi how many committees existed
and who are on those committees.
Um, and are you also including other
stakeholders,
subject matter experts within those
committees?
Thank you.
>> Okay. So, I've handed you a list of the
subcommittees and the subcommittee
chairpersons who are all members of this
committee. So, um most members of this
committee are committee subcommittee
chairpersons. They will be are tasked
basically with pulling together input
from members of the community,
participants at a subcommittee level uh
from different sources of information
and reviewing the existing uh issues as
uh opportunity risk and opportunities as
are presented in the existing plan. But
then they'll want your data update in
order to evaluate whether to help them
evaluate whether changes are going to be
needed for this updated plan. So, you
know, it's hard to have a subcommittee
or I'm like Paul's doing transportation,
I'm doing utilities. I can review the
existing utilities portion. I can look
at the existing issues that were there
in 2016, the issues and opportunities,
uh, the risks, but then I'm kind of
stuck until I get the further update of
whether there's more information that
you have to give me from the back new
background data.
>> And then a question on
the titles of the committees
don't follow the current plan chapters.
Well, they're pretty close, but they're
designed the subcommunes are designed
for data collection. So, community facilities and culture
facilities are kind of one and the same
thing. They don't really go with
utilities. So, if I'm looking at
utilities, I'm looking at, you know,
Excel Energy and Nvado and hardcore
utilities. I'm not looking at cultural
facilities like the senior center. So in
terms of getting our work done and just
gathering information, getting input
from experts in the community, we've
divided it up this way, but then we'll
just res resort it into the elements as presented in the statute.
>> Okay. So your current comprehensive plan
or the in the update, it'll still we'll
update the plan as the utilities and
community facilities chapter. It'll be
at the stage of your subcommittee that
you look at that differently. So it
would probably to have that chapter with
two subchapters. One of you know one is
on community facilities and one is on
>> I think it the plan al already separates
them into two different sections within
that chapter.
Um
>> so anyway these are the committees are
the subcommittees are established as
their for the collection of information.
Yeah,
>> it'll probably be um at our September
October meeting that we'll start to have
those draft plan chapters available.
A question would be how do you want us
to share those? in general will um put
those on the Northwest Regional Planning
web page, create a web page specifically
for the Ashlin County Comprehensive Plan
and then we can upload the current
version of the updated plan chapters as
they're revised. And then uh the Ashlin
County website could include a link to
the Northwest Regional Planning website
and that seems to work best at this
stage because then we can as we need to
update things we can do so in real time.
>> So I don't any observations that that
makes sense to me as long as each
subcommittee will have access to
>> Yeah. It'll be a public link.
>> Yeah. So, a link on our planning
committee web page on the Ashlin County
web page
would take us Well, hold it. That's
public access, though, isn't it? How do
we do this? Our planning committee web
page is a general public access web
page. And I don't think you want public
access into this draft environment.
>> That would be the other question. At
what stage do you want the public to
review the draft? Would it be after the
subcommittee review?
>> Yes.
So then we should utilize for the first
preliminary draft review that goes to
the subcommittees the SharePoint folder
of Ashlin County
and then it'll be after
>> comment anybody.
>> This is Elizabeth Franic. Can I
interject? Um go ahead Liz. I don't know
if it's because um you know my lack of
uh of um time because I'm sick on my
only day off or what it is. But um I
just have a suggestion. We have other
subcommittees.
What I'm doing with my subcommittees is
I'm going to contact each um head of
that committee or you know, I'll use one
as an example, the Ashlin Resource
Center or whatever it is. um call or
email them, tell them you know what
you're all about and you would really
like them to add uh planning to their um
meeting.
Okay, they do that. Now they have that
open discussion at their meeting. Even
if I can't attend, it's public
knowledge. I can go back and see if
anybody discussed anything. So then I
can touch base with them and I can ask
all these different entities
to just how about I don't know I'm
throwing this out here because a lot of
people don't have a lot of time. I'm on
other boards. I have another board
meeting at 4:15 that I'll have to be on
the phone because I can only talk. Um,
what I would like to see is us engage
with the comm community, not the
community, but all our different
subcommittees
with one big meeting, inviting them all
for input instead of us reaching out to
them all the time because nobody has
time. So in the future when we really
need their input that we invite all
these stakeholders to one big meeting,
we can do a doodle poll. We can see when
the mo majority of them can go. Even if
it's on a a Saturday afternoon, I can
schedule a time off of work. I have two
jobs,
so I don't know if that would work. But
I think we're we're just um in the age
of technology,
we have better resources now to um get
that information and people don't always
have to be boots on the ground and sit
in a thousand meetings. Just my input.
Thank you.
>> Uh let me just uh add to what Liz had to
say there. I think as we are currently
loosely structured, it is really up to
each subcommittee chairperson to decide
how they want to go about conducting
their what we call a subcommittee
effort. Whether it be individual
reaching out or convening meetings or
doing a zoom meetings or surveying
different departments, it's really has
to be as I've seen it in the hands of
the individual subcommittee chair person
because of our individual personal
constraints. Is that I hope that answers
your question, Liz. And I turn the floor
back over to
>> you. Am I
Charlie? Oh. Oh, Pat, sorry.
>> Can we go back to the previous screen?
>> Yes.
>> So, something I brought up um
in other meetings is I'm looking at that
first part, August 25 to August 2026. We
have county board elections next April.
And all things being equal, it sure be
nice if we start and finished this plan
all with the same county board. last
time a third of the board turned over
when we had an election. And so somehow
in that first part, it wouldn't be
surprising if there's some changes on
the board and then you know you have the
election then you have a reorganization
meeting and then committee and you elect
a board chair and a few other
committees, highway committee, whatever.
But then the board chair and the
administrator meet and they make
appointments to other committees which
would include the plan committee at this
point. that creates a really long gap if
we have people leave
where, you know, it's most of two months
or so potentially.
Um that I we'd have to
I don't know have some sort of plan or just be ready to deal with a lag
there to get new people and then to get
them up to speed.
>> Have you encountered that kind of
situation in the past, Emily?
>> That did occur in Brunett County. They
were just getting to the plan adoption
part of their comprehensive plan update
process and they had an almost
completely new county board, but they
just they kept moving as business as
usual and had new people to inform about
the plan update process
or pass an ordinance to prohibit any
county board member from not running
next year.
You'd be superseding state law. Can't do
it. Listen.
>> Okay. Where are we now in your agenda
there, Emily?
>> Um,
so did we accomp did we solve any other
questions for subcommittee
review of materials? So the subcommittee
will review materials and then we'll
hold a full committee um based on the
recommendations of the subcommittees
would be the general process
right I think uh when you get into the
after the subcommittees have formed
their draft uh the recommended draft
documents then I I suspect that the full
committee ought to in session review
each one of those individually in a
series of meetings. Uh so maybe it'll
take
>> you know half an hour to review one
elemented
by the subcommittee
>> and that might take like three or four
meetings two or three meetings before we
could get through all of the elements. a
full committee, we won't probably review
the background report and unless there's
some kind of new very new information
that's incorporated, but for the
visioning and the implementation, we'll
all review those subcommittee
recommendations as a full group.
>> Exactly.
And then we'll also as we figure out
where we are and as we have the updated
draft plan elements, we'll probably
create some deadlines for that
subcommittee recommendations
for incorporating into the plan update.
» So your presentation
» and then I think that answers the
question I had on how to share the
draft.
um plan elements as they're available.
We'll put those in the SharePoint folder
and then um share those on our website
when they're in that
um after the subcommittee
review version.
And then what time do we have?
Looks like we're at 211.
And then the next part was about that
public survey
figuring out those sorts of logistics or
starting to figure out those logistics,
but I don't know if there was a
confirmation on if we want to move
forward with an online survey.
Uh, so I think we're at the question of
how do we say what the questions ought
to be in the online survey.
>> Yes.
>> And I suspect you maybe have a straw man
starting point for that.
>> Yes. And I did
>> it was somewhere I printed.
Perhaps that could be shared by email to
all the the committee members
and then that feedback could come back
to you
from all of the committee members
suggestions and you could consolidate a
draft uh for us to be reviewed at our
next meeting. do have a draft,
>> okay,
>> that I can share today and then it would
be helpful by our September meeting if
we could finalize survey questions is if
this is how we're moving forward.
So this the survey questions that you'll
get today in this document and we'll
also share those virtually
um email those out. This is fully based
on the Bernett County comprehensive plan
update survey that they did um a couple
of years ago.
» So our comments back to you would be our
suggestions for modifications that of
that that straw man just a straw man.
It's a place to start, right?
>> And then thinking about by our next
meeting we'll want to have these
questions finalized by the end of our
September meeting. So like I think by
emailing it to each of us that will
trigger each of us to please respond to
it and give you the feedback
>> because some of these might not be as
specific specifically to Ashlin County
as a coastal county
because if this is what we moved forward
with, we would look at
um
having a survey report of the survey
responses to this committee for a
presentation hopefully by the end of
this year.
So then we can use those survey
responses to help inform the plan as
well. Yes,
>> probably.
These were generated by the Bernett
County Planning Committee for their
comprehensive plan and they are based
they were based off of their
um 2010 plan and they modified some of
the questions or some of the answers I
suppose to talk about things like um
concentrated animal feeding operations
and some of the um technological
advances that have happened especially
with broadband. and internet and things
like that.
» You want to get people to tell you what
they want.
Is this like a kind of standard?
>> So these questions are they generated
by I don't know like university
think tanks to generate the kind of
answers that will give us the
information. They were originally
generated by the um River Falls
campus
and then modified in 2022 2023 for their
plan update. And then I know 2006 survey
questions for Ashlin County exist
somewhere. That might be interesting,
especially to compare results if those
exist.
I say that because I'm not qualified to
determine if these questions are what we
should ask or not. I read through them.
I I like some of them, but I just want
to make sure that they give us answers
that let us, you know, understand what
they want and that it applies to to the
this this plan in a way that gives us
meaning
>> valid.
>> And my computer that I inherited from
extension employee before me didn't go
back to 2006, but there might be some
hard copies around. I'll poke around. I
found some things on a disc. I just
don't have a disc player, but Okay. I
think that was mainly 2016 surveys.
>> Okay.
>> But I'll look for you.
>> So, I found the farmland preservation
plan from 2016. They redid that survey.
So, we have those questions, but not the
comprehensive plan from 2006 questions.
Lisa, I I think Tom Moja Husky would
probably be happy to
tell you where you might find him
because he did all that at the time. He
ran this whole update thing.
2016. Yeah.
Oh, that's right. Okay.
» Miss Elizabeth Franic.
Go ahead.
>> Can I go ahead?
>> Um, on the survey, I've had um community
members and tourists ask questions about
future use of Northland College.
I also had um questions about the the
county's role
um assisting the tribe with um wild rice
preservation.
Um also with um
uh future job opportunities
um and
how are we going to staff these jobs
with um a college population missing?
Thank you.
Melissa, did you have more?
Back to you, Emily.
Um
and then
hopefully everyone can take a look at
these in between this meeting and our
next meeting and on the agenda for next
meeting have finalization of the survey
questions as well as sort of a timeline
for the survey deployment as an agenda
item.
» Do we have time for me to ask just a few
questions about this? Um, so I have
looked over this. I think we we got it
in an email from you several weeks ago.
Um,
one question I have is question three.
It says, "Rate the quality of following
services and facilities." When we're
looking over this, should those services
and facilities be within the wheelhouse
of the county itself? So something like
county parks, we actually don't have any
county parks. Um, so would we take that out or are we asking sort of more
about
rural parks in general in the county
that might be administered by something
else like the state? Um,
>> I would say whichever take you want to
go with that.
>> Okay. What's most important to have
information about in general all
>> opportunities for parks and open space
in the county? Like that still has
implications for right
>> community development planning and land
use,
>> right? But it seems like we kind of need
to decide like do we take this survey
>> as a tool for judgment of how the county
itself is operating
>> or for what people want and need?
>> Yes. in the county
which might not be our purview.
>> The the other one is if I was looking at
this, I'm not so sure I would answered
as a Ashlin County property park
>> because a county has multiple parks
within towns and villages.
>> So I don't know if a person reading this
would know
>> just parks.
>> If if we said African county parks, we'd
say we don't have any.
>> Yeah. So I might not answer but maybe
within the county or something because
it's not a county part.
>> Yeah. Okay.
>> So in in the name of time I think these
are the the feedback that we want to be
sending to Emily after we get the email
from her.
>> Yes.
>> I don't know that it's uh you know it's
2:20 now. We we won't be able to
complete this agenda today if we're
going to be in a two-hour meeting.
>> No. So, I'm just saying I think what
we're asking is for all of us to give
this kind of feedback to Emily for her
to come up with the draft
>> for our September meeting. Erica,
>> I absolutely agree. What I would
underline though is that this is going
to take a long time for us to talk
through even when she compiles
everything. I feel like so I think that
we probably need to make this like
basically our only thing on the agenda
in September.
>> Yes.
I'm I'm just I'm worried because we are
going to want to talk through all of
these questions. I think
I could be wrong. I mean I I just but
like I think this is probably going to
be a process.
>> You're correct in that thinking.
>> Other comments Pat
>> without having gone through this um I
would also be interested in terms of the
nine elements we're supposed to have in
account plan. What is a balance of
addressing each of those nine elements?
And off hand, I don't know if we're
hitting all nine. We're hitting some
heavy and others not much.
Other comments I say that um Lisa and
Eric have done some preliminary survey
work and those are there may be
questions from that earlier survey work
that we want to incorporate. I mean, I
don't just because Baron Bernett County
did it this way doesn't mean at all to
me that we need I could throw this out.
Now,
>> these are all
>> I could throw this out and come up with
a whole different list of questions that
interest us. So, that's the kind of
input we need to give to Emily, I think.
Um, moving on. Oh, Pat, sorry. This is
just a thought and I'm going to regret
saying it, but maybe for each of us that
are chairing a different area like I've
got egg and forestry. Maybe each of us
come up with some questions related to
the area that we're chairing. And that
way as we think ahead towards public
participation, if we were to say to
people, you know, for me, for example,
what's important related to agriculture
to you, it would force me to think a
little harder, a little sooner. That's why I'm going to regret having
said that.
» Sounds like a good idea to me. Uh, other
cut.
Moving on then, N.
Yeah. And so then the discussion of
countywide planning issues on
opportunities, we'll postpone that to a
future meeting.
Okay. Although we'll be that's coming up
next on this agenda with regard to the
current plan. So if if if this is the
end of your things that you need to talk
about, let me ask if there anybody have
further questions for for Emily or
Autumn on what we've discussed so far.
» One quick thing on the survey. I'm never
quite
confident about how we interact with the
tribe on this?
>> Sure.
>> Um, should you I assume tribal members
of course are going to be invol invited,
but then in your experience with other
counties, are there questions related to
tribal issues or special needs of the
tribe that we should make sure we
address?
>> I have not seen that. And honestly,
Bernett County is the only uh county
that's recently done a comprehensive
plan survey and they have the St. Croy
Chipoa Indian needs of Wisconsin within
their county and they did not include
any specific questions in their survey,
but they did invite members of the tribe
to every planning committee meeting.
Okay, I think we're moving on then to
item 5C in our agenda,
which was to discuss the 20 2016 comp
plan listed issues and opportunities. I
just wanted to go over these. Can we
bring those up on screen? Is that
available?
We have a backup document for that.
All
right.
So,
I have that here.
Yeah. So, the the point of of bringing
this up on the agenda is to focus our
attention
uh with regard to our individual
elements that we're working on. So I
want to make sure that everybody has
paid attention to the existing listed
issues opportunities under these
different sections. So the first section
if you'll scroll there a little bit uh
Karisha you come to governance and
citizen involvement
and then we're going to go to the tax
base which goes with land.
and demographics and then you keep
scrolling
and you're to housing.
Keep scrolling. Then you're to community
character and then transportation,
utilities and community facilities,
agriculture,
natural resources, economic development,
intergovernmental cooperation and land
use. So
there's a lot here already and in in
essence my thinking is that it's our
u assignments as individual subcommittee
leaders to review these existing
um issues and opportunities as they were
presented in the earlier plan and to
think about how we might want to change
or update those. So it's like we're not
working from scratch.
Each of us has a baseline here that's
already on the books, already in effect
as of right now because these are the
listed issues and opportunities up until
we actually issue a new plan. These are
in effect and that to me simplifies our
role. Now, there's so much here. I don't
think we have the capacity to actually
talk through all of these today, but I
would ask that each subcommittee address
these existing
issues, opportunities as as currently in
the plan. And then the item 5D on our
agenda is to look at the vision
statement. Now, that's something I think
we probably could talk a little bit
about today
because this is if you can scroll to
that and I'll scroll down to where it
says vision and put that on the screen.
Yeah, this is just, you know, this is
just half a page to look at.
And I just want to read it if you don't
mind.
It says, "We envision a county that
recognizes the diversity of rural
forested community and village life. By
joining together, we become stronger and
more efficient in meeting our citizens
needs. We are challenged to maintain and
improve land, air, and water quality in
an increasingly complex world. than to
meet these challenges. So,
as Emily has pointed out to me, you
don't really come up with your final
vision after you've collected all your
data, gotten your input from your
community and think, you know, what is
the vision that the that the citizens
actually want us to represent.
But it strikes me that also we need to
be thinking about whether
what we as a committee think about this
vision statement. And I'm wondering if
anybody can uh bring forth an opinion
upon whether this is what we would want
to represent going forward or whether
there should be some modification,
adjustment, amplification. Are there any
thoughts on this question of the vision
statement? Because it becomes a guidance
for the entire document.
Charlie,
>> I liked when we talked, I don't know,
three three or four weeks ago, you
mentioned putting something in there, an
overarching statement uh to some effect
of to improve everyone's quality of
life. As I I after talking to you, I
agree this this is 100% to make sure
make everyone's quality of life better
and to to memorialize that somewhere in
it, I think is a good idea.
But I that's my opinion. Thank you.
>> Other thoughts? Listen,
>> I totally think that should be near the
top because that's the purpose of a
plan. And if we pray put include that
phrase in there, that helps people
understand better like what's the
purpose of the thing. It's 300 pages.
You know, the purpose is we're trying to
make sure that we at least maintain but
improve quality of life for all. So, I
would like that in there. And I'd also
like some obviously some sort of
overarching reference to the fact that
we are experiencing and will continue
experience the impacts from extreme
weather events.
That's not really addressed.
>> Let me look then down below where it
says um
we are challenged. So it says to meet
these challenges we will and I could
easily see placing in there a statement
of dealing with changes in extreme
weather as one of these statements.
Yeah.
>> So these statements have you know have
robust e robust economic growth have a
thriving local economy and it mentions
quality of life and it says you know
wellqualified workforce with high
quality of life is actually mentioned in
here. um maintain highquality natural
resources, continue its position in
stewardship of county, state, federal
lands. So I think these subsidiary
statements support then the the real
simple vision that we're are our our
goal is for the quality of life of the
citizens of the county to be uh ever
improved if we could. Other comments?
Well, at the very end that four-year
higher educational institutions um seems
like it needs an edit at this point. But
it also strikes me having um taught at
the tech school up here and like half my
load was online and ITV courses is
there's not a component in there related
to um making use of the internet. So
we're we're getting grant money. So
Nvado is going to expand. That's going
to be really huge in a lot of ways.
partly because socially younger people
want to be able to get on to social
media and stuff, you know, and connect
with people, but also if they're going
to start a business without internet
access, it it's really hard. So, that
part's going to help, but it also then
expands educational opportunities beyond
our traditional models of two-year
schools, four-year schools and stuff for
a lot of other learning that people can
do um remotely um for whatever reason
they want to learn things, starting a
business or particular skills that they
want to learn, they can um access those
things. So more and more of post high
school education, people are getting,
you know, things they call certificates
and badges where they acquire a certain
set of courses or skills from a variety
of online um places. Um so they can pick
the courses they want from the places
they want. And some of these places, and
they've been doing this for a good
decade or more, they give what they call
badges and certificates. And it's just
an acknowledgement that somebody's
acquired some background. And so we see
far more of that than we used to. And
the very last bullet doesn't reflect
that. Um but it is what people are
doing, especially if they don't want to
in part because of child care and stuff.
They don't want to go somewhere else to
go to school like they used to, but they
still want to acquire learning to better
their life here.
» Yeah, I think we can build on that
comment. It's really significant because
this world of more advanced computing
which we're calling artificial
intelligence but basically it's really
high-speed deep research is
democratizing education for people
almost anywhere on the face of the
planet. So that someone through remote
learning whether formalized or
unformalized has access to answering
almost any question that you can have.
You can you can get an answer in about
two minutes
by going online and you might have to go
deeper to find out the truth. But I
think you've raised you've opened the door on a on a subject matter that
really does impact our future as a
county. Lisa, did you have something?
>> Yeah. So could you would you see
something like keep that last sentence
and then at the end it says educational
institutions and say or certification
programs through in-person or online
learning opportunities just add that
would that like expand that last bullet
with your comments to modernize it. um
something along that line. But I I've
also know people who have learned an
awful lot and it's like and you let's
say they want to start their own
business. They can learn a lot online
either through courses that are offered
by a an accredited institution but other
sources that they can you know go to.
But that internet is a huge component of
that because they've got to have the
access to get there and then they find
the things that are of interest to them.
some of the stuff, you know, with the
stuff at the farm and equipment and
repair. It's amazing how many I mean,
I'm doing it now, too, you know, YouTube
videos. I'm amazed at the people I've
talked to. And there was a guy just a
couple of days ago I sold him something
and he was out at the farm and and he
was showing me that he was doing I mean,
he's doing it all online. and it's all
um taking courses and programs and
getting things certified, including
something he's building, you know, where
he need to get a a permit, you know, to
make sure it was done right. It's
astounding what some of these people are
doing, but it's not the formal education
we think of. So, something broad enough
that captures
I don't care if I have a certificate or
badge also because you can do that. No,
>> I uh I wrote down here I might express
that as expanding remote learning
opportunities. It's a really big
>> both formal and informal. So some I
don't want somebody to think I have to
go to a school. I don't have to sign up
for a class because so much of this is
informal now
and it meets their needs but they don't
want the bureaucracy of school or even
the tuition in many cases of it.
I'm just curious if you want us to go
through like these one at a time or are
we in a process where we're sending it
our comments to Emily like we are about
the issues and
I think this is a good preliminary
discussion but when we get into the
actual visioning review after the
subcommittees have met we'll take a look
at this as a full committee before we
get into the goals and objectives as a
full committee.
>> Okay.
>> Yes. There's a point of putting this on
the agenda is to get us thinking about
this now.
>> Yeah.
>> About what has been said in the past
>> and so that we are
>> Yeah. So that we're working for ideas.
But this is all kind of straw, you know,
coming up with preliminary ideas at this
point.
>> So
I'm just trying to find a logical place
to throw this in. I I would like this
body's approval for two elements. I
would like to I have a professor from
Northland who's willing to create a
sustainability element and I'm halfway
done writing a community health element
and I just want to get this green lit
here before I invest any more time in
it. Um and you asked me to bring this up
here and I'm so is that how you wanted
me to do it? I hope.
So Charlie's proposing,
as I understand your proposal, adding to
um what you would call another element
of of the comprehensive plan. So the
question is whether that you fit that in
within one of the existing subcommittee
structures or whether it's appropriate
uh in what we file with the state to add
these additional pieces.
So I don't you have any thoughts on that
Emily? Maybe Charlie maybe you could
explain a little bit more for Emily what
you're thinking.
>> Sure. I was going through it and having
done the last one I was was reading it
and I realized you know we have a health
and human services but we don't have a
section in there and community health is
very important but we don't mention it
for quality of life. It it should have
its own bullet up there and
sustainability is is very important. and
we have committees. We the city has the
last sustainability committee that I'm
aware of, but we don't have a we don't
have an element in the comprehensive
plan. So, I thought to me, I think they
should absolutely have their own spot,
but I'm just one guy and maybe I'm off
the deck, but I'm willing to do the work
to get a draft to this body to look at
if the body is interested in doing it
and if you feel you can put it somewhere
in the plan. I don't care where it goes.
Doesn't have to have new elements. just
it seems like that would be the
appropriate spot. But I I don't care as
long as I can do a an element and put
goals and action items at the bottom and
let us know what the challenges are,
what the threats are. Uh community
health has health services has a
community health assessment and a
community health improvement plan, but
the plan is is lacking in action steps
right now. I thought I would take that
and give it some teeth and then you know
some things we can do to get where we
need to be.
in in that regard. So, it's just
throwing that out there. If you want me
to continue the march, I will and I'll
have something for you well in time of
your deadlines, but it is additional
work. So, it it's your your guys's
decision to make.
» I think those sound like good things to
incorporate into something like a
comprehensive planning document. and
whether or not those are specific
standalone plan elements or you want to
integrate that throughout the
comprehensive plan. Um, we could do
either direction
>> and I think B County is rich with the
sustainability. They've infused it in
the whole plan
>> and then they also added an introduction
to their plan specifically about systems
thinking and sustainability.
>> Yeah. So I know with the extreme weather
we knew that there might be some
resistance in the county. Not everyone
believes that climate changing climate
conditions are happening. So what we
were trying to do was say okay let's not
even deal with that but we know we are
having increased extreme weather and
then how can we infuse each of the nine
elements with some acknowledgement and
action on how to deal with how that
affects housing or transportation or
natural resources. So to me that seemed
like the more integrated approach like
take sustainability actions and
principles and embed them into each of
the nine chapters where you can. But but
Bayfield counties is a great model for
how they did that.
>> Um let me get it. I
>> can I interject again? I'm sorry.
>> Go ahead, Liz. You're online. Um,
Charlie, I think the community health is
very important and I'd like to see um
you put into that um the epidemic of the
drugs
and the homeless and the because of them
out there um it is a big effect on their
health, their their family's health. um
they can't be taken in by family. Most
of them, not all of them are actively
using and how is um how will that affect
our future here? Um what do we need to
accommodate so there won't be more um
homeless individuals? Uh just recently
on the scanner there was an OD. So I
don't know the effects or the outcome
yet. I'm hoping that they got to them in
time. Um it's also um a lot of people
that use have um committed felonies
and as a result of that cannot find jobs
or housing. So we have to see as a um
going forward as a plan what can we do
to help these future of these people cuz
they are they're community members long
as you know they're even actively using
they're still our community members.
Thank you.
>> Let me throw in a point of information
here. So it looks to me Charlie like
your your ideas are welcome. It's just a
matter of where where fits in the final
document is not won't be too much of an
issue. But if you go to the um the
minutes of the last health and human
services board meeting on which agenda
it requests input to the planning
process. You'll find extensive
documentation and answers to uh a lot of
the issues that you're concerned with.
It's it's very extensive information
there. Pat. Well, Alyssa said a lot of
what I was going to say. We have an ad
hoc committee versus standing because
initially our chair wanted to have a
committee on climate change, but from
what I read other than Monroe County,
you know, they kind of form and then
they go by the wayside and they don't
have any budget and they don't have
really any authority to compel anybody
to do something. So except for Monroe
County where they rotate groups in, you
know, say related to egg or, you know,
infrastructure for power or something,
you know, then they kind of have a group
that addresses something and then they
rotate to something else. So that has
worked. So we're a standing committee
because climate change alone probably
wasn't going to get people to show up
and do something and have a budget and
anything. So I this is off the top of my
head what and I made some notes. What
maybe what we could do is so
sustainability and climate change are
two important issues is that as I
develop questions for my pieces on egg
and forestry certainly I can tie climate
change and sustainability into the
questions I ask um and work on with the
chapters I have but maybe we make a list
of these things that we think are really
important things community health on
that list too just as a reminder that as
we work on our sections and hold our
public hearing things that we include
these topics that we are trying to
infuse. So we um infuse them to the
extent that we can and then at some
point if we just really can't infuse
something well then it would be clear
that we need standalone but that way
we're all trying to infuse the things
that we as a group think are really
important to hit. Um and so certainly
the sustainability for what I have
absolutely I shouldn't miss that. Same
with climate change for my two I
shouldn't miss that.
Uh there's let me throw in just another
word to add to the record here is that
um just like talking about extreme
weather is easier for some folks than
talking about um climate change. it can
be easier to talk about resilience
uh along with sustainability
because that's u that's something that
people do relate to is is the ability to
you know be resilient. So any other
thoughts
Charlie
>> I just want to be clear I I have the
capacity to prepare two two things
sustainability and community health. I'm
not doing anything on climate change,
but if you want me to research climate
change deep and bring the stuff here.
>> No, I think we're saying that climate
change folds into that. When you talk
about sustainability, your climate
change folds into it.
>> Right. But it isn't the focus.
>> But climate change folds into almost
every element.
>> Yeah.
>> On the table.
>> The backdrop to our lives now. Right. I
agree.
I think we can move on to uh
subcommittee reports.
See if we're doing any better this month
than last month. Uh can we go around the
table and see that's starting with you
Charlie? I think you almost just did a
subcommittee report in a sense. Push
yourself.
Um,
Kisha, would we have the ability for
subcommittees to put draft materials
onto SharePoint?
And how would they do that? So, would
Charlie send something to you then to be
posted to SharePoint or
>> I'm not sure. I'll have to look into
that. I'm sorry. I'm not sure. I'll have
to look into that.
Uh next next up is um Lisa
trends and issues.
>> Yeah. So um I've been floating this idea
around to different people who have let
me know that they're really interested
in the plan. Um and they want to come to
like a quote meeting to review these
kind of go through them and say which
ones are still relevant, which ones are
new. I was kind of waiting to get with
regional planning because I knew they
have a process for reviewing this too.
So we we talked earlier about a good
process, but I do like what you said
earlier, George, about each of our
subcommittees or subgroups would also
take these current um issues that were
identified and review them together and
then somehow look at those as a big
picture to see what else pops up. you
know, like I am now inundated with
reading about AI and the impacts of AI
development on communities in a whole
bunch of invisible ways I never thought.
Um, but I think if we look at all of
these new issues and opportunities that
are brought up in the subgroups and then
look at them as a whole, we'll get even
more things that are going to present
themselves in the next 10 years.
Liz, do you want to add anything more
from the point of view of cultural
resources and community facilities?
>> Not at this time, but thank you.
>> Uh, egg and forestry, natural resources.
Pat,
>> so I'm on the farmland preservation
committee with Charlie. We had another
meeting yesterday. I think that update
will go a long way towards background
for the egg component as far as getting
ready to go from there. The forestry um
for whatever reason a while back the
forestry plan didn't show up on the
county website. That should be there
now. That's I 90 pages or so. So I'll
have to delve into that. But the next
couple weeks I've got my own stuff out
at the farm related to this stuff. I'm
trying to keep up with doing that stuff.
I'm ready for the snow to fly in. Um
>> I I really am.
Okay. So,
next is transportation. I don't want to
put Paul on the spot because Paul agreed
to take the transportation part of this
off my hand so I could deal with other
stuff. But um so but so far I had um the
highway committee got back to us and uh
volunteered Tom Reamer to help with
transportation representing highway. Uh
Dick Pufall represents the board to BART
and he is willing to participate in that
process as is uh there's a former board
member uh George Mika who would be
interested in participating.
um Tom Yankee who's the chair of the
Harbor Commission uh will get someone
from Harbor Commission to participate.
So you'll have a group of people from
disparate sources and I'll pass this
information on to Paul to for sources of
inputs. But do you want to add anything
to that Paul?
>> I've got a better blueprint of what my
goals are after this meeting today. So
thank you.
So then next is I'm so I'm I'm hanging
on to utilities by which we mean
physical utilities like you know
electrical service uh internet service
um water utilities sewage utilities and
I will be uh list has provided me a
number of names to contact to put
together uh
a subcommittee for input to that and
once we get um
the inputs from a number of these
sources is then we'll put together a
draft and and bring it back for the the
committee here to look at.
And then what comes after utilities is
housing. Uh Brad was excused today, so
he's working on housing. Uh land and
economic development is yours, Gary.
How's that going?
>> Well, you know, it's it's kind of funny
when you read the plan because I saw two
issues that brought something else to
mine in economic development. One says
promote and leverage the county's
assets, natural resources, which you
know we should do. It brings people to
the county. The other one says um
provide maintenance and expansion of the
tourism industry, which is good for us.
But here's the situations that's
developed in my area. In a two-mile
radius of my home, 10 homes have been
sold in the last three years.
Only one is a local resident. Nine of
them are not year round residents. We
have a problem. I'm not knocking the
people using these homes as a vacation
stop,
but that's not a good trend. It's not
good for the schools. It's not good for
the county because these people are
here. One of the homes, they're here
maybe three weeks out of the whole year.
It's a home off the market to the
locals. I keep telling the young people
to stay. They say I can't find a house.
Well, I know why now. So, it, you know,
I think in our it's just a long range
issue. We could not going to solve it
today or tomorrow, but um we have a
problem with the homes being bought up
by people who don't live here a full
year. And and it it's scary when I look
around my neighborhood. The houses are
all empty for a few weeks out of the
year. And these aren't cheap homes
either. I mean, the one that just sold
is $677,000.
It's not like anybody local is going to
buy that anyways, I don't believe. But
it's the home that's off the market in
80 acres that's gone. So, um, it it's,
you know, that's why we want to promote
tourism. It's great for the county. It's
great for the area. We get a lot of
revenue from that. But I'm seeing more
and more people come up here and light
the pl the area, but they don't want to
live here year round. So somewhere we
have to address that. And I don't we're
not going to solve that problem
ourselves. But it's just something to
think about as you see what's going on
in at least the southern part of the
county.
>> Okay. And moving on to risk and
opportunities. That was you, Lisa.
Anything on that at this point?
No, I was kind of thinking that that
discussion again would pop up in each of
the subgroups but also
for brevity or efficiency have the
issues and opportunities combined with
the discussion of the threats. You know,
because people will often say, "Here's
an issue. Outside people are buying
homes, short-term rentals or seasonal
and then here's a threat." you know,
right away you said, "Here's a threat.
Now, now I don't have a community. I
don't have active people that are
volunteering for my rescue operations or
running for town board, you know, so the
issue often leads right to the threat."
So, I was thinking that really our
conversation about those should somehow
be a big picture of all of those things,
not separately.
That makes sense.
Okay, I think we can move on then to our
next uh agenda item which is publicity
and public participation plan allocation
of tasks. Um do we have that list there
online?
Not the committees. We need the um the
public participation plan.
Is that is there is on the document or
do we have to go into the web page?
Yeah. go to the public participation
plan
and then scroll to the section toward
the end that lists all the different
mechanisms
of uh communication.
Okay. Oops. Not there. Focus.
Yeah. There you go. That's those. Yeah.
a little bit more.
Okay. So, this is a question of whether
anybody is up for doing anything here.
Um,
I talked to Mary McFetridge at um,
Chamber of Commerce, Ashlin Chamber of
Commerce, and she's willing to
distribute a um, a newsletter
for us. So, do we have that draft
newsletter there?
It's uh
is it one of the other documents
attached?
>> Okay.
Oh, that is the that is the draft
newsletter right there. Is that okay?
I just drafted a one pager to be
an example of what could easily be done.
Uh so chamber of commerce has a broad
dissemination
and uh we can use other mechanisms of
dissemination of well but uh
Mary is very uh willing to be very
helpful and suggested a lot of different
uh you know getting it out to other
chambers in the area and she'll do this
for us. I asked to do it quarterly. I
would just probably do a one pager and
this is what I would have put in the
first one pager. would has to be
reformatted so it looks more like a
newsletter, but that would satisfy the
legal requirement and also be useful to
people into something that can be
printed out, put up as a poster on
bulletin boards and start disseminating
the information. So, I'm I'm happy to
take on that tasks.
So, now we can go back to the list of
the other tasks and see if anybody wants
to sign up.
We have what? Uh
but it's hard to for me to read from
here.
You got to scroll scroll back upwards.
Each one of the he bold ones is a
category. You see that? You should have
bolded. So public mailings. What? I can
hardly read those though.
Can you make that a little bit bigger?
Ah, here we go. Thank you.
So,
the categories are Oh, that says public
meetings. We know we're going to do
that. Uh, community display exhibit.
Lisa, were you going to try something
with that? Anything?
>> Um, sort of. I'm working with Blake on a
um bulletin board downstairs on the
first floor outside the extension
office.
>> Um this is sort of a template. So I'll
give people a copy of that. It's also um
a handout that we'll put attach to the
wall um where people can give their
public input or we can tell them where
to send it. They can either leave it
with us. um that's not mobile for public
display, but it's our first shot at
making something for the courthouse, you
know. Then we'll try something that's
mobile that could maybe go to the
libraries or community centers or
something like that.
>> Okay. So, we've got a publicly is
working on public display. The next one
is media releases. Erica, were you going
to do something on a press release?
>> Sure. Do you have a deadline for me? And
I think it would be really beneficial um
as I brought up I think the past two
meetings if we had some sort of image to
go with it if it's going to go in the
newspapers. Um so if we have suggestions
for an image if we want to do the tree
planting thing it is coming on fall
quickly now. Um,
I can draft anything at any time, but if
we want it to actually be read, I think
we should probably put an image with it.
» Um, any suggestions along that line? I
don't think we're going to have a tree
planting this fall. It's going to be
late. You want you don't want the tree
to die the next. So, we're probably
that's probably not going to come about
be my opinion. and everybody else thinks
otherwise.
You know, I don't I think planting a
tree in September or October is probably
reduces the chance of success for the
tree. Uh Pat, you have any insight on
that?
>> Well, some trees you can transplant in
the fall. You know, once they go
dormant, you can move them, but not all
species do transplanting very well in
the fall. So, depend on the tree and
they should be dormant.
Um,
but I think offhand, you know, a lot of
people they think of tree planting in
the spring because that's when most
people do it. My gut level reaction is a
lot of people might say, why are they
planting a tree in the fall? Um, we
might lose them just from don't they
know you do that in the spring? Um,
there is that bit of it. The courthouse
people recognize that it just got
redone.
They,
you know, Ashlin County, they the
courthouse image has been around a long
time, more than 100 years.
We could put you and a few others in
front with a picture.
>> Yeah. I can't I can't think any other
image, but you know, you can make a a a
bit of news out of the idea that
courthouse facade was repointed this
past sum this summer and that was, you
know, sort of part of planning for the
future. Is there any other ideas for an
image that Erica could could put with a
release? Listen,
>> I have one on I think it's on my
Facebook page right now of the
courthouse in the front. It's an aerial
view. It might be from Edmond Row. Um
and then you can see the city in the
back and even some farmland back there.
I'll link you to it. That sounds great.
But that I I'm pretty sure that's on my
Facebook right now
>> because I think we we were thinking of
doing a press release at the time of the
signing of the contract with Northwest
Regional Planning. If I recall,
>> it was just sent to us last week. It is
now fully executed and signed.
>> Okay, this be timely then. Fantastic.
Open house that seems down the road.
Uh what Karishia has done with the
planning committee page on the Ashlin
County website seems to me to serve the
purpose that we're looking for. Unless
anybody thinks we should go beyond that,
we can add a lot to this, but I think
Karisha has done a really good job so
far.
comprehensive_planning
committee.
So next on the list of uh communications
advice is an emailing list.
I don't know if we have anybody that has
a capacity or wants to work on this and
I'm not sure what it would be. Any
ideas?
So, I think that's one where, you know,
we're still pondering.
Uh, next on this list was
newsletter, which I've signed up for,
handling written comments. We did a test
of the link there. So, uh, Karisha has
on the website the link to send an email
comment or question in and we tested it
and it goes to myself and Erica and Dan.
Did you get a copy of that, Lisa? Maybe
not. So, so you know, I've definitely
received if someone sends in a question,
Dan and Erica, but we've received none
so far. But the link is there. It's on
the website. All we have to say to
people is, hey, the link is there. If
you want to send in some input, go
ahead.
So that's for written comments and
public hearings seem to be in our future
and that is oh then we come to the
survey which we've talked about which is
Emily
and we have the steering committee and
focus groups which are basically the uh
subcommittees that pretty much says
we're doing almost everything that we
said in our public participation plan at
least in some small way. Are there
comments?
So,
uh, social media, is social media on
this list?
I know we talked about it in the past.
Um,
I have I can show you this. I put this
on my work page, an announcement of this
meeting, and I'll put this on my
Facebook page, and then I share it to
like, I don't know, six other Ashlin
based sites, Facebook pages that says,
"Here's a meeting." And I think I'm
going to just use that picture over and
over. It's a non-copyrighted um antique
postcard
that I thought was really beautiful way
to look at Ashlin County, but kind of
use that as a Facebook mini brand, you
know, so that hopefully people see that
enough and they know it's Ashlin County
meeting.
We're going above and beyond. That's
great.
Uh so we can move on to um we basically
have handled communication mechanism
updates unless somebody has a comment on
it.
And we can move on to status of township
and committee inputs. Um I don't think
we've made any headway there. I know I
haven't. But um if nobody else is
interested, I can take that up. Anybody
else interested in taking up the
communication with the um town boards?
Okay, I'll take that assignment then.
And then we move on to reviewing our
progress versus our columnized work
plan.
I think Emily, what do you think?
I can pull that up for us.
We have
a sort of timeline by task. And I'm not
so worried about
the whether or not we're in within the
month
of the tasks, but so much the order of
operations. So, we're at uh the steering
committee meeting number one, the plan
update overview. Uh we didn't yet get to
the issues and opportunities round table
because we'll focus on the survey
questions first but that'll probably
occur at our third meeting the review of
the issues and opportunities.
So, it looks like we're just on schedule
and then we'll work on um the updated
draft plan chapters and uh put those on
to the SharePoint.
» Uh discussion or comments?
>> If not, we can move on to item number
six, which is the second opportunity for
public comment. Is there anybody online
for public comment?
Seeing nobody present here on road,
nobody on the line, we will move on to
item number seven is um committee review
of public comments. There haven't been
no public comments, we don't have to
review any. Listen, do you have a
comment?
>> I'll just throw one thing out. Another
project I've been working on with
WMadison's
community research team is um we're
calling it New North, New Neighbors. And
it is a project that is um interviewing
people who have moved to Ashlin County
since 2020 to find out where they came
from and why they picked Ashlin County
and why they moved and then how they're
integrating in whatever community they
lived in. So, it's part of a civic
engagement research project. Um, we had
120 people reply, which is pretty really
good for up here, but we narrowed it
down to 90 or 93 actual surveys because
people didn't finish or they screwed up.
So, um, if anybody's interested in that,
I can send it around. mainly um it's
preliminary results right now, but I
made a copy of one of the questions I
thought you might be interested. What
would you say are the biggest reasons
why you decided to live in Ashlin
County? And then the second one was sort
of an open-ended question about what
else do you want to tell us about your
community that we didn't ask you? Um
and there are some really fascinating
things that I think could help inform
this project. Um, I find one of the
comments was, "I find transplants, other
transplants to Ashland are a lot more
welcoming and more open to connecting
with new people than with long-term
residents." So, they're working with
each other. They're finding each other,
but they're finding the long-term
residents not to be that welcoming,
which I think is kind of important
information. Um, things that we know, we
wish there was more for young people to
do. It's definitely a targeted to the
retirement community. Um
I'm concerned about water quality. Um
you need better support for people in
recovery. And then some really
interesting things that um I thought are
what called acidbased community
development. ABCD. If you have cool
things in your community to live, they
will come and find work. And here was an
answer exactly to that. We wanted to
raise our family in the country or a
small town and this area has a hospital,
a college, a cooperative, and a Walmart.
We're very sad that Northland closed
this year because the college added
something to the area that cannot easily
be replicated, but we were looking for
community assets like this. So, I don't
know if anybody's interested. I can
email that to everyone when the new when
the whole
>> Is that something you can share with us
on SharePoint
>> that people
>> they certainly could or um
>> it sounds really relevant.
>> Yeah, I think you'd enjoy um hearing
their comments. I'll work with you on
how to share that with everybody. Okay,
thanks.
>> Okay, I think we're up to other
business. Do I have an attachment under
other business?
Yeah. Okay. Now, just scroll until you
see some yellow. Okay.
So,
I put this in under other business. It
relates to the point that Charlie raised
earlier and that Pat spoke to is that
this is a standing committee for
planning of a for Ashlin County.
And if I have it here.
So I've highlighted here a lot of things
that have to do with quality of life
which are in the existing plan
and
we had a com some comments earlier
as to
um recreational facilities and if you I
know you're probably not going to be
able to read this. Can we blow this up a
little bit? Can we
or is it George stuck there? Yeah, just
slowly scroll through and let people see
what I've highlighted there. Uh maintain
national resources, continue uh
stewardship for the county
uh resource opportunities,
uh continue uh keep going.
What's this one? It says investigate
opportunities for providing additional
camp experiences for county county
youth. Keep going.
Stop. Uh, develop potential for youth
adult camping experiences.
Go.
Uh, encourage preservation and
protection of environmental corridors
for wildlife, water quality, values, and
habitat protection. Keep going.
Uh, what's this one say? Amenities
consistent with county rural character.
Open up the county budgeting process to
engage all members of the county board.
improve county infrastructure, including
county facilities in order to make the
county a more attractive and desirable
community in which to live and start to
grow a business going. So, let me get
through the rest of this M. Here's one
that really caught my attention. Parks.
We have adequate parks according to the
plan. I just found that a little bit
confusing. Keep going.
Uh, what's this one? Parks and open
space are an objective of the existing
comprehensive plan. Keep going. Oh,
whoops. What did we miss there? Parks
and recreation attractions in the county
like the White River Wildlife Area south
of Ashlin. Keep going. And this is
what's interesting. These are the
fastest growing economic sectors in the
state of Wisconsin. The second is
amusement and recreation services. So
that is supporting the attractiveness of
Ashlin County in terms of outdoor
recreation parks and facilities is
something that is in our current plan
and my personal perspective is one that
we have not paying enough attention to.
So I've only I think that's probably the
last of it. Can you scroll a little bit
further? Is there any more?
What does that say? Recreational trails.
is the trails for recreation are an
important component of local recreation
opportunities. Tourism trails in the
county are shown in the transportation
uh section document. And I think maybe
that's Oops, there's more. Yeah, keep
going.
Issue. There we go. Okay. Issues uh lack
of recreation facilities for youth, lack
of recreation facilities for teenagers,
lack of recreation facilities for
elderly, provision of more passive
unorganized recreation opportunities.
Citizens wanting more public facilities,
parks and shelters, more public
facilities, trails, forestry committee,
and is there any more?
Okay. Public access to streams. And I
think that's probably the end of this.
So my point is this is the existing
plan. This was put in place 10 years ago
and we are basically I mean we can only
afford a little bit because we don't
have a whole lot of extra budget but it
strikes me that this is the type of
thing that a standing committee should
be monitoring and looking for
opportunities when they might exist.
Anybody want to comment or discuss the
issue
that
some of that language in there like open
up the budget process to the entire
county board. There's some things in
here that were in the farmland
preservation plan 10 years ago too. And
so I mean literally verbatim. And so I
think some of what we've looked at came
from farmland preservation. And I don't
want to say cut and paste but some of it looks that way. but on the the the
recreational opportunities that would
fall under forestry the way the county
is organized and so one it's really
struck me my time on the board um having
grown up in Bayfield County you know
lots of lakes parks and recreational
stuff and you get to Ashlin County it
took me a while to realize you know
based on data how much less you have
except for access lake superior how many
fewer inland lakes lack of parks
relative to Bayfield County and there's
a big difference in the economies there.
Bayfield County because of the lakes and
like double the county forest, they have
a very different budget than we do.
We're not going to get more lakes very
easily, but we can put in more parks. U
but then we have to invest in those. And
so one of the things I hope I get to um
on forestry is an inventory of all of
the parks and trails that we have in
Ashlin County regardless of which you
know entity they're with, you know,
city, village, you know, Copper Falls,
you name it. And then look at gaps and
opportunities there. So see what we can
fill in. And I'm also cognizant of, you
know, we have less snow on average as
time goes forward and more people are
using those UTVs versus snowmobiles. So,
how do we connect um recreational
opportunities using those trails to
places where people can stay, get food
and beverage, you know, etc. Um, I think
we'll find there's some gaps in there,
but it's going to take some investment
on the front end for the county to do
this. We'll have to have staff to do
some maintenance. We'll have to figure
out how to bring in some revenue to
that. But from the budget perspective,
if the county chose to make those
investments, we could make some
investments in that, which also means we
say no to some other things. But I think
we could invest and I think the data and
supports making more of those
investments. And I also want to let Mr.
Ortman over there who's our liaison with
the city on this committee know that
apparently our mayor is um at times a
little frustrated that some of the
people who stay in Ashland as tourists
don't spend in the city don't spend all
of their time within the city limits.
So, I told the the chamber director a
week or so ago in a forum conversation,
I said literally said, "Good, we're
making progress." Because the data on
credit card usage that I found a few
years ago shows that an incredible
number of the people who go to places
like Copper Falls up to Meline Island
and stuff, they're staying in the city
of Ashley because that's where most of
the rooms are. That's where a lot of the
food services. It also means that when
they've had a little too much in the
evening, our police department gets to
deal with them, you know, because that's
where they're staying. They're here. But
to the extent that we create more
opportunities within the county, the
city of Ashlin benefits too because
you're getting the hotel tax and it's
hotel tax is limited to the city limits.
You know, if someone in Melon has, you
know, a place to stay, they don't charge
the hotel tax, but the city does. So, we
all benefit um by doing that. But I
think there is a lot of opportunity on
the things that George is pointing out
here. And one of which is the Maxwell
property um on 118 that Northland
College currently owns. And I think it
would make sense for the county to take
a hard look at acquiring that property
and making it a a park and a campground
and the recreational opportunities that
could go with it. Um, so I think this is
a really important point for us to think
about of what we can do going forward
that we haven't been doing otherwise.
>> Other comment, discussion
>> and I just want to say kudos to the
village of Butternut for building a new
campground.
I I want to add um
that
I think the the report that Lisa
mentioned about why people are moving
here because it gives us a lot of
insight because I think probably it
shows us that people are moving here for
what they deem as good quality of life.
And so whatever we can do to help make
this a more attractive place in terms of
quality of life for people who would
move here and stay here will add to the
betterment of the county for all of us
who live here. So
that's what we're thinking about. Um
we're up to item number 10 was is round
the room summary comments. So uh I'm
going to start with you Pat. Last
comments.
Boy, we got a lot of work ahead of us.
» No, I'll keep it short. We just do have
a lot of work ahead of us. Okay, Lisa,
>> I just want to say thanks to Emily and
Autumn for being here and welcome to our
process and I really look forward to all
the expertise you all are going to bring
help us with all these processes and
questions.
>> You're here, Gary.
>> Paul,
I thought everyone was just being
cynical about a three-hour meeting down
to two and a half.
We're we're down to two hours and 23
minutes. So, we're almost there. Erica,
>> nothing today.
» Autumn and Enley, any
>> just want to say thank you for working
with us. We look forward to it.
>> Okay. Last thing is to think about our
next meeting in September. uh
suggestions and limitations,
conflicts,
not 911. Okay. I will will send out a a
doodle poll to see what works for
people. Okay. Not include you. All
right. Is there a motion to adjourn?
Charlie,
>> I'd like to um publicly
um put our thoughts and prayers together
for Minneapolis as they deal with this
unimaginable
tragedy with that school shooting.
>> Okay.
>> I just want to put that on record.
>> Thank you, Liz.
You have a second forjournment.
» Second.
>> Pass second. All in favor say I. I
>> we are ajourned. Thank