Okay. Are we going to start recording?
Yeah. Okay. We are recording. It's 2
o'clock. Uh time to begin this meeting
of the Ashlin County Planning Committee.
It's Tuesday, June 17. Uh the planning
committee is meeting here in the
courthouse with access via Zoom. I can
see that Gary Mertig is on. Are you
there, Gary? Can you hear us?
Gary, can you hear us? We cannot hear
you.
Okay, we'll wait on that. Uh, so
first item is roll call
and hopefully Gary will come in because
we need him for a quorum. George Buset.
Uh, here. Use your mics, please. Bradley
Ray.
Elizabeth Franic here. Pat Kenny here.
Gary Mertig.
Gary, can you hear us?
Continue
with the roll call, please. Pat, Dan
Grady,
Lissa Radkkey here, and Charlie Ortman.
Uh, we're going to pause the roll call
for a minute. I'm going to try to call
Gary. See if we can get a quorum up.
Okay,
Brad Ray just walked Ray is here. So, we
have a quorum and I just Okay.
This is Gary.
Gary's online. Thank you.
Mary Joe's online.
Thank you very much.
Okay, so it appears that we have a
quorum. That's good news.
Uh so the next item up is the approval
of the agenda. Are there comments or
suggestions regarding the agenda?
Anyone? Anybody online?
Gary
Brad. Okay. No, no comments. Did I hear
a motion to approve the agenda, please?
Brad Ray. So moved. Brad Ray. Motion to
approve the agenda. That will second.
Pat Kenny. A second for the agenda. All
in favor please say I. I. Any oppose? So
the agenda is approved. Uh next we move
on to item three which is public
comments.
Is there anybody online who would like
to make a public comment?
Is there anybody present would like to
make a comment?
Second call for public comments.
Last call for public comments at this
time. Hearing no request for public
comment, we move on to item number four,
which is approval of the minutes of the
last meeting, which was May 12. And I've
just asked uh Karisha to note that um
Lisa Radkkey cannot be two places at the
same time. So you you are listed as a
present, but also as an other present.
So we just we're we're making your other
presence
adjusted. Any other comments? Any any
other comments on the uh uh the minutes
of the last meeting? Okay. Uh can we
have a motion to approve the minutes of
the last meeting? Liz Franic. Motions to
approve. Motion to approve. Second.
Brad will second. Brad Ray second.
Motion to approve the minutes
discussion.
All in favor, please say I. Any opposed?
None in the negatives. The minutes of
the prior meeting are approved.
Then we're moving on to discussion items
which is five 5A. First discussion item
is little fun facts or favorite things
about Ashlin County contributions by any
or all committee members. Are there any
committee members or persons present who
would like to bring out a a fun fact?
Melissa,
use your mic, please. Yep. I'm figuring
it. Um, I'll give you one, but I think
you probably know it. Um, what's the
tallest What's the second tallest?
I'm going to start over.
What's the tallest part in Ashen County?
Tallest point.
Mount Whittle Sea in the Porcupine
Mountains. That is the eighth tallest
point in state in our whole state. It's
only 79 feet shorter than the tallest
um point, which is Tim's Hill in Price
County. So, we're at 1872
feet tall at Mount Whittley in the
Porcupine Mountains. Like, that's pretty
cool. Where's it located? Mount Whittley
is in the Porcupine Mountains. Porcupine
Mountains are up by Mount by Anton.
That's Michigan. What am I saying? Pino.
Okay. In the Pinocchi Range. That's a
fun fact that it's the Pino.
Okay, I have I have two and um the first
part of this starts with a little
context and then I'll get to the
actually the interesting point.
So, um, see,
in 1664,
the great interpreter and trader
Nicholas Perau
was probably with canoes from Lake
Superior that came to a dramatic and
pagan-like halt at the little settlement
of three rivers halfway between Montreal
and Quebec. He and his Indian
companions, so he had Native American
guide companions, uh, had beaten off two
attacking parties of Irakcoy and their
canoes were piled high with furs, so
they'd come back from
the superior from the upper Midwest.
So it is small wonder that they sang
songs of victory, shot off their guns,
and otherwise impressed four companies
of soldiers just arrived for the first
time from France. When the Indians
returned to their homes, a cultured and
vigorous Jesuit missionary accompanied
them, Father Claude Jean Alou.
He made his way to the foot of
Shawamagan Bay
where seven different tribes were then
living in a little settlement.
There he built a Bart chapel and a hut
for himself. He worked long and hard
without too much success and in the
spring of 1667 he decided to visit the
Npasing tribe then in the area north of
Lake Nipagon.
It's from a book by Grace Lee N uh I
think published about 1944 called Lake
Superior.
Then here's another little uh Ashlin
County fact from
1996.
The Ashlin landing handled 31,000 cords
of pulpwood shipped directly on rail in
1996.
48,675
cord overall from Ashlin region
h
1996 before the pulpo closed I think.
Yeah. Any other interesting fun facts,
Liz? Uh, Liz. Well, I Everybody knows I
work with the public and nobody can
pronounce shamigan and I work at the
Schwamagan family restaurant. And I tell
them that comes from the nishnab Ojiway
word shiuamakum which means shallow
waters or place of shallow waters or
sandy shores. Um, also a nice fact about
my family is my great grandpa Samuel
Seedstra worked with the Bad River tribe
way back in time and uh helped start the
first Bad River Powow which was a Bad
River fair. So I'd like to find out more
information about that. Thank you.
Any other contributions?
the shallow waters. I think the voters
all this spring would have would agree
with shallow waters because having a
hard time getting their boats in the
water.
Uh this is Mary Joe.
Go ahead. Um I don't have an additional
contribution, but when Lisa was talking
about Mount Whittley,
that's actually located um southeast of
Melon.
So, and it's almost halfway in between
Lake Galilee and Highway 77. So if you
were going to head east out of Melon
along Highway 77 and you look to your
south, that's where Mount Whittley is
located up in the Pinocchi Hills there.
And one of the second highest or in the
other top five peaks is called Eagle's
Nest and that's right around along on
that same ridge as well.
Sounds like a good hike. Any other
contributions to fun facts? Okay. So, we
move on to subcommittee status reports.
So, just want to see where we stand one
at a time. So, Brad, can we start with
you, please?
I've been out of the country for the
last three weeks. So, I have not done
anything
in terms of any job uh for the last
three weeks other than read the packet
right before we came last night. So,
sorry. No update.
Uh, Liz,
no update either, but I'd like to know
like did you spread the news of Ashlin
County to a different country and are
they willing to come over here for a
visit?
Um, we I talked about Ashlin. Yeah. Uh,
and that there was bears and wolves up
here. People were surprised there's
wildlife around um o over there, but uh
I don't think anybody's going to come.
So, sorry,
Alicia.
Um, well, let's see. George and I met to
talk about how to deal with sub
committees. Um the um I've got a plan
but I haven't written it down
for how to deal with the kind of like
the SWAT analysis, the issues, the
trends, the challenges and
opportunities.
That's my that'll be my job. Okay. Uh
Pat,
I've got the um egg and forestry and
natural resources. And since we have
Mary Joe here, um yesterday I was at the
farm and on the south fence line that
half mile I had it surveyed April 30th
and and set posts for the survey line
and then I was pulling the old steel
post with a shovel dig around them and
so I can get them loose and whatever.
But as I'm doing that, I hear something
walking through the woods, not fast.
Um so I pause and I look and there's a
little null where I was at. And so I
look and
50 feet, maybe 60 at the most, up pops a
big bearhead. And I can see his eyes
going back and forth looking. And um
then I can see him smelling. I had some
salmon loaf for lunch and my cooler
wasn't far away. But this year, Mary
Joe, instead of standing up and scaring
the bear, which I felt bad about for a
very long time last year, this is very
close, like 150 ft from last year. This
time
the bear when he was trying to figure
out where the scent was coming from, I
just simply said this loud, "Hear bear,
bear." And that was enough for him to
see me and then walk away. And I didn't
scare him this time. So I feel good
about not scaring the bear. I scared him
last year. He was he was right behind
me. That was um not good to scare. Um on
the egg part, um Lisa started back in
December with some egg related meetings.
So she spearheaded that with the group.
So I attended those and and now run a
farmland preservation um set of
meetings. We've got one the 24th coming
up. Mary Joe has been um spearheading
that with Northwest Regional Planning.
So that part we're doing good on the
forestry plan. I know we approved that
as a board a several years ago and for
the life of me on the county website I
cannot find it. Um, so once we get done
with the farmland preservation, I'm
going to have to track down the the
county plan and see if we can get it on
the forestry website and then start in
on that. And I I have been planting more
trees again and I did 10 acres of acorns
and shagbar hickory and black walnut
last year trying to reforest. did the um
um online course on forest adaptation
last winter. So, I got a lot of
questions about forest adaptation and
what's going on with, you know, climate
change, which is what it is. It's it's
really different. So, I'll get to the
forestry part once we wrap up the
farmland preservation.
Okay. Uh George, I have uh
transportation and utilities.
So it is my intention to try to draw on
people from different transportation and
utility sectors
and maybe do it in two separate segments
because they're kind of different
categories.
So, I'm going to try to ask the um the
harbor commission to see if there's
someone who would participate in a
working group uh the county highway
department
uh from the airport commission uh from
the trails, hiking trails and ATB
trails. So that's my approach is to
start inviting people who might be
willing to give some time to the subject
and then
open and so form a uh a working group.
I'm not sure about you know how we
provide space and a meeting time or
place to do this. And I think that's
that's something we have to figure out
for all of us because okay, I'm going to
have some kind of working subgroup maybe
with with people contributing. But how
do we actually make that happen? Where
where can we meet? When can we meet? How
do we meet? Do we need to be online? Do
we not? There's a lot of those kind of
practical questions. But I'm going to
start by just see if I can attract some
people from the different areas. And
then if I can do that, then establish a
meeting time and place and make it known
to the public that they're willing to
come and contribute or maybe invite some
people to come and contribute from the
different governmental groups, you know,
different municipalities,
you know, someone from Le Point,
someone from Butternut. They're
different really different needs. So
that's my approach but I think each of
us has to take our own individual
approach to our um to what we are
personally you know willing and able and
and prepared to do in terms of trying to
get these elements written. Um
so we're missing Charlie today for the
intergovernmental
uh Gary are you there? I'm here.
Uh can you tell us anything uh going on
with e the economic development and land
use elements? Uh yeah, I a few weeks ago
I talked to our land description office
and told them that we'd be looking for
more information at some point. I'm
still waiting to hear when we get to the
point of bringing Northwest Regional
Planning on so that we have more of a
guideline as to okay, how in depth or
how far are we going? Um
so that because they've done this before
and so that we don't both them and us
are on the same page is you know what do
they see us needing um before we get too
far ahead of ourselves. But I do have a
just a quick point of something that
this could have gone before. But about a
week ago, I was on a little lake west of
Melon
and you could hear the traffic on GG,
which is a welltraveled road. But at one
point, I said to my fishing buddy, "That
is the loudest truck I have ever heard."
Well, about 4 seconds later, we
discovered it was not a truck. It was an
Air Force Reserve fighter jet at treetop
level who covered the entire lake wood
line heading towards Melon. And my
fishing partner actually covered his
ears that that sound was so loud. Um,
I know they've done this in the past,
but uh, maybe we should let our county
residents know there's no war going on
yet, but um, when the fighter jets are
training, they they like the Pinocchi
Range and that area between Melon and
Clam Lake. I've seen them on other areas
over there in the past. Uh, um, but I'm
sure that would shock some people
because he was at the treetop level when
he came over. Um, so maybe maybe we
could use that as economic development
and tell people, hey, the Air Force is
using our area as a training ground.
Come and see it.
I'm not taking that into transportation.
Thank you.
Right.
So hopefully, I mean, I don't know if
everybody's gone through and reviewed
the 2016 comprehensive plan, but
hopefully we've all read through the
sections related to our elements. I
mean, I was impressed. I think it's a
pretty good pretty well done, frankly.
So, really happy with that. Any other
comments or thoughts on the subcommittee
work?
Okay. Um then if not we'll move on to
the next item
which is discussion of communication
vehicles. Oh I'm sorry Pat. Just as a I
don't know observation or question that
permeates a few things is if you want to
go back that previous screen you were
on. We've got this divvied up in an
order
that each of us have an interest in the
topic presume believe that we're doing
and yet um
you know like for what I have a forestry
and natural resources in the elements
that we have to meet for the comp plan
there's the cultural piece that split
Liz has that and so as we go through
this stuff you know it's one thing to
say here's the elements that are
required but then as we go through this
planning process
I have part of um
one of these categories and then Liz has
another part of it. So just so that we
figure out how we're going to divvy that
up or or how the meetings are
coordinated or data gathered or
separated and all of that just kind of a
procedural thing as we encounter it.
Other thoughts on that subject? Uh so
the reason I proposed and got you
convinced you to maybe go along with me
on this organization was for our data
collection purposes
because the the cultural elements that
go with cultural facilities as kind of a
natural or who you're going to talk to
and where you're going to get
information and the natural resources
elements
that relate to that are really kind of
related to forestry and agriculture. So
my suggestion what I'll do for like
transportation and utilities I probably
going to segregate it into two sections
of my analysis and that's what I would
suggest for you know for cultural
resources and community facilities. I
would divide my analysis into two
sections. So you've got the cultural
resources section and the community
facilities section. you're talking to
the same people pretty much. And so
that's easily just when we have to map
it into the actual final comprehensive
plan just you can take the cultural
resources and if Pat has segregated
agricultural forestry and natural
resources into segments of his work you
can take combine natural resources and
cultural resources and map it into the
the formatting that's prescribed uh by
the statute. But the reason I proposed
doing it this way was for our collection
of information and and when and working
with people because
you know there's a big difference
between forestry and
cultural resources or between community
facilities and utilities. So that's
that's my approach to a pet. Yeah. Could
you go to um page five of that file? Um,
it's page five on the PDF. Um, so I
think we're scrolling.
Yeah, if you want to scroll down.
I may have not or let's see. I'm on the
I'm on the consolidated draft file.
Okay. You'd have to go down.
Well, yeah, but but if
Yeah, but but that's
trying to clarify what I was trying to
point. So, right there, just because
they're together. So, we've got focus
groups and we've got list one through
seven of how we've divvied it up and
then below that it says these focus
groups will and then you've got this
other order. And just as we proceed
through all of this stuff, we've got are
we having focus groups for both of those
things? One through seven the first set
and one through seven the second set or
are we doing something different? No,
our focus groups are only the first set
and then if so if a has if you're if
focus group number four is segmented
between agriculture, forestry and
natural resources and focus group number
five is segmented between n cultural
resources community facilities. Then you
can just take the natural resources
segment from four and the cultural
resources segment from five and slide it
down into the agricultural, natural, and
cultural resources element that's going
to be in the public's plan. So as we go
through meetings and stuff, um, we're
organizing those based on the first set
of one through sevens as opposed to the
second. So as far as am I going to go to
this meeting or that one, is it part of
my category? Not. something and and Liz
I want to ask you this question
in the second set of one through seven
it's got a natural and cultural
resources
and I can't help but think
about bad river
and how natural and cultural resources
tied together for them in a particularly
important and strong ways and more
history than they do lots others. I have
some concern that unless we're careful,
we're going to lose that connection of
the natural and cultural resources, that
interplay, that inter relationship,
interconnection that's so important to
Bad River if we're not being careful.
Um, but if these are the state
guidelines, they may not have been
thinking about that. But for us, I think
it's really important
that we pay close attention to that. And
it would be easy for us to miss if we're
not careful. Listen. Well, I thought
that it would be a good idea just for um
to attach a memo to them and you know at
their Bad River tribal meetings they
could put a planning committee aspect
and attach natural resources and
cultural resources as part of it.
Other comments, discussion? Um, I still
don't think I'm fully understanding how
um a county plan inter
engages and interacts with a sovereign
nation
because it seems like a lot of the
cultural sites might be on the
reservation and so we're not really
doing a visionary plan for the
reservation.
I mean, I just want to get my mind
around how those two integrate. Like Bad
River is its own nation, so that has its
own plans. If the cultural sites are on
the res, then the Ashlin County is not
necessarily responsible for tribal
cultural, but it might be other things.
Is is that am I I don't know. It's
always been a question for me because it
came up with the natural resources
committee. You know, we were talking a
lot about how to protect the res and
what the reservation is doing and it's
not really the county's jurisdiction
under this plan. So, I just maybe
regional planning can help with that. If
I can have permission to speak, I can
answer these questions.
Speaking please, Mary Joe. Mary Joe. Um,
so the the agriculture, cultural, and
natural resources section is all one
section of the comprehensive plan. And
I'm working on this with the town of
Moringo right now. Like that section
alone is 42 pages. So individually
you're focusing countywide on what are
the natural resources of the county like
what are the water water resources what
are the threatened and endangered
species
um what are land preservation areas um
environmental corridors
and then for the natural resource
section you similarly identify things
and then for the cultural resources you
identify by culturally what's
significant across the county. So
architecture, historic buildings,
archaeological sites, and the Bad River
Band of Chippoa would fall into that as
a cultural site.
So, you're identifying these places and
you would provide information about
them, but you're not necessarily
developing goals or activities
associated with those individual areas.
And then furthermore, for the
agriculture, cultural, and natural
resource section of the plan, we're
going to identify goals and activities
for each of those that are important.
So, natural resources, what are our
goals for natural resources countywide?
And we would look at the current plan
and we would answer from the current
plan from 2016, what were those goals
and activities? and have they been
accomplished and are still are they
still irrelevant? And then we would
develop any new activities that we see
fit for the next plan period. Same thing
with cultural resources
like for the town of Moringo, which
we're going through right now, the main
goal is to promote and preserve the
town's cultural resource base. So then
there's a couple activities associated
with that. But for the county plan, we
would be asking ourselves culturally
what's important across the whole
county, whether it's archaeological
sites, historic sites, and then how do
we want to promote the preservation or
restoration or protection of those
things.
So hopefully that answered some of the
question. Um, and if anyone has any
questions, I can try to answer.
Alissa.
So, we know that Bad Rivers quote
property is part of Ashlin County and I
just want to verify like with a tribe or
natural or regional planning how to deal
with that as a sovereign nation because
if we're saying that the county will
write goals and objectives and actions
for
natural resources that are within a
reservation, which is a federally
designated boundary for a sovereign
nation, then they need to be a lot more
deeply involved in this whole process.
But I don't think we have any goals or
actions in the plan right now. I think
there's only one in the current plan
that says something specifically about
Bad River. Um because we have no
jurisdiction over them. We we could
write an action in here a natural
resource. Those you should do this with
the sloo or whatever we want it. But
there that's it's like saying to Canada.
So I just I'm just as we keep going
forward just how do we acknowledge the
difference between the two governmental
entities.
Liz, that's why I think that the tribe
should be involved in this and you know
we're not telling them you know what to
do. They're going to give us guidance
and what we should do. And just like
Mary Joe said about archaeology or
architecture or any natural resources,
they will, you know, guide us through
what they they know about natural
resources, endangered species, how to
protect those um environmental things,
too.
Yeah. in our plan. I mean, we're not
making goals and activities for the
reservation, but we could recognize like
we understand that the Kagan and Bad
River Slooh's are uh international
significant wetland and we promote
supporting high water quality there.
Like it could be things where you
recognize the significance and we're in
support of the protection of that but we
would not actually be developing
activities to implement on the tribal
lands.
Erica
Mary Joe said perfectly what I was going
to say. So that is not we should keep
our language so that we understand
there's two parts to the plan. One is a
background session section which is
descriptive and talking about the assets
on in the county which you could say bad
river sloo blah blah blah part two where
all of this work that we're doing I
think is in um all of these work groups
are set up for part two which is goals
objectives and actions. So, we should be
like
intentional about when we're talking
about the tribe, what we're how we're
engaging them in what part of the plan
because they really don't have um
and we work with Bad River all the time.
I mean as as well while Mary Joe was on
the natural resources and the egg work
group and we had Bad River people there,
but we were being really clear that the
goals and objectives of part two were
not um engaged with Bad River unless we
said work with Bad River as a as a
partner, but that all of this work that
we're talking about to describe natural
resources or archaeological sites um
that's all in part one. It's just
descriptive. And then still we should be
working as I'm sure regional planning
will understand really deeply with like
their typo office for the cultural
resources and a lot of that information
is not shared with the public but at
least they would say a list here's our
historically relevant sites like the
cemetery or the pawa grounds or
something. So, I'm just trying to figure
out our language so that we're working
as good neighbors with the tribe, but
not like setting expectations or
stepping into things that aren't our
jurisdiction.
Any other comments or discussion?
Uh Pat,
part of Bad River is owned by folks that
aren't members of Bad River, which is a
whole another layer of making it
interesting. But the comp plan
um
doesn't give us authority to do
everything that we might like to do
within all of the boundaries of Ashlin
County. The city of Ashton, for example,
controls their zoning. We don't. you
know, the city of Melon is going to make
decisions on what they choose to do. Uh
people with wooded and farmland are
going to make decisions that uh they
choose given that they have the property
right. So on every
square inch of Ashlin County,
somebody else has some authority to make
some decisions and ours is limited. So,
as we go through this, we always have to
bear in mind, you know, what do we have
authority to do as a county and what
don't we? And it varies
where we're at in the county and
certainly varies with Bad River, but it
varies with the city of Aston and
everywhere else, too. And so that's why,
you know, it's a plan and we work
towards, but it's always going to take
cooperation and decisions by others to
change anything that the majority or the
owners perceive to be a positive change.
So when I read the comp plan for the
township I own land in, it's, you know,
I can tell who some of the people were
that wrote it or involved in it and I
really like it. But then I look around
and you know we all own our own land and
people clearly make different decisions
on what they do or don't do. And and
that reminds me that plans can be very
good but it still takes the individual
property owners to decide that they want
to engage in what's in the plan.
And
other comments I would add that um I
think there's one section where
vision goals and objectives will
actually be really important and that'll
be into intergovernmental relations. So
our vision of how we're working for
instance with Bad River or the city of
Melon or the National Forest Service is
part of what we have to think about what
what our vision is. We can't set the
goals and objectives for the National
Forest Service, but we can think about
how we want to work together with them.
Any other comments on the uh
subcommittee status reports item 5B?
If not, we move on to item 5C, which is
discussion of communications, vehicles,
shared drive for planning documents,
websites, email, social media,
electronic surveys.
I think we're not fully clear on our
communication strategies
and I'm deeply concerned that we not get
our communications tangled in a mess.
So thoughts, comments,
insights, wisdom, anybody
that
I guess one big picture thought is that
this committee is a standing committee
and not an ad hoc committee. Most
counties would have an ad hoc committee,
which means you do your work, you're
finished, you're done. Um, we chose to
make it a standing committee as a board
so that things related to climate change
in particular, we had more flexibility
to um, look at things over a 10-year
period and decide we want to make some
changes because the world really seems
to change faster than it used to. So, it
gives us more flexibility. So in terms
of the communications it would be just
that as things are put online you know
for example a website where people could
add comments that we state those things
in a way that um indicates this is
ongoing collecting feedback information
suggestions whatever versus here's a
deadline and after that you know we're
done because it's a standing not an ad
hoc. just that we bear that in mind as
we consider language as we collect
stuff.
Other other comments or discussion?
Erica, do you have um a sense of where
we stand on things like um a website for
or a central location for information?
What's your view on that? And then I'll
come to Lisa actually I think on the
same question. I have not checked out
the website which I think was created
right by Rachel. Did Rachel set up a
website and then add the email to it?
But the website really only has
the previous
comp plan, the plan from 2016 on it. So
that's the sort of public-f facing
repository
of information I think that we have
planned going forward although I don't
think it's fully um fleshed out yet.
the other. So, it's not a website, but
it's on SharePoint that I think we
should perhaps talk about and maybe use
a little more because I think that it's
perhaps only Dan and myself that are
adding documents to it right now. um is
that on SharePoint under AC County
Administration and then documents,
Dan and I have been uploading the
municipality comp plans, uh population
projections through 2050,
any other public input that we've
received,
all of the county department feedback
and documents that I've received um from
the the two question survey um that we
distributed.
So that place is I think the one
clearing house for us that will be
continue to be very useful if we can I
will do my best I think it's pretty well
organized right now like within folders
and subfolders so that people can have a
flow of where things go. Um,
I am
not aware if anybody else has editorial
capabilities on that if you can upload
things because I think Dan had to ask
Rachel to add me to have it on there.
But George, were you able to access
those things? Okay. So, regarding
SharePoint, so Erica sent me a link.
Yeah. this last week and I tried to use
that link and I totally failed
and I I had to reset my password and
then my password would reset and then I
couldn't get my email for a couple of
days and then finally Rachel helped me
get it all straightened out but it took
her a long time to figure out. So,
because many of us aren't very familiar
with these tablet computers and with the
particular software,
um I think we need to if we're going to
use a resource, we're going to have to
train ourselves about how to use it. So,
um Brad, did you have an experience?
Yeah. Well, February 5th, Rachel sent
the SharePoint and I tried then and I
just tried again and I had the same
issue. It says it's my password is not
valid and yet that's my password. So, I
don't want to reset because I need to
get into my email. But, right. So, there
must be some other password that was a
tied that isn't tied to anything I'm
using here. Um, but it should be the
thing is is it's Microsoft Office, so it
should be the same thing as the Outlook
and I can log into Outlook, but I can't
log into the SharePoint. So, I don't
know if it's a security setting on not
being on the same network, but I'm in
here. I'm on the same network. It should
work. But I'm guessing it's a
permissions thing and I'm in here now
and it's not offering me the capability
of giving permissions to anyone else. So
I think that it's probably Rachel that
controls those permissions.
Um I can definitely talk to her and make
sure all committee members are added and
have editorial access to it. Is Alissa
is that for the committee access or is
there a public facing website there?
There were two things we've talked
about. So the first was the public
facing website that Rachel set up. This
SharePoint is only for committee access.
Oh, and there I did get in. You did get
in. Just got me in. Weird. I just
but it must be a network thing that when
I'm at home you can't get I wasn't able
to interesting
okay though the the public facing
part is on the county website yes under
planning committee easy to access that
seem to works just fine and we'll have
to decide what we want to put on there
I'm wondering if we want to put our
meeting minutes when they are approved.
Uh the meeting minutes are accessible
through the calendar, but it might be
useful to folks to be able to go to that
one place and see the the series of
proceedings through the minutes
meetings. Could we do that,
Karisha? I could definitely look into
that. Okay, Karisha will look into that.
Thank you very much. Um other discussion
on our communications, surveys, media,
etc. Melissa, do you have observations?
Well,
I wasn't sure what the difference was be
between C and D.
Um because it seemed like C those were
all tools that you would use in a public
participation plan. Um my main thought
on both C and D is I have no
understanding yet of who does what. Um,
the most recent thing I have is, um, I
think regional planning might have used
Bernett County's template for a public
participation and then they crossed out
different things that weren't relevant
to Ash County,
but it doesn't say anything about who
does what or anything. So before I would
ever like approve a participation plan
would be like what are the um exact
tools some sort of timeline and who's
doing what
you know extension does a lot of
outreach already on this so we're happy
to help but I'm not sure if um like
regional planning are they the
out outer voice for the group do you
know what I mean are they uh voice. So,
they're doing a survey and they're doing
a newsletter and they're keeping your
website. I don't know. I just it feels
like there needs to be a lot more
details.
I 100% agree. Especially if you're
getting comments from the public or
questions, there has to be a clearing
house for someone to be able to respond
or to gather and keep that information
together.
But that was what the email is for,
right? that Rachel did set up and is on
the website, right? But originally that
request for that email came from me
because we have six different educators
and we're trying to just like if there's
public comments, people are like, I
don't know who to talk to at UW. So go
to outreach extension and you can put it
in there. It'll come to me and my
director and then we'll um farm the
question out. that turned into a um
could we use that also for the comp
plan. However, um Rachel then nixed the
whole idea on it for extension and she
asked extension to get their own email.
So then that email address went back to
Dan and the last I heard was Dan and um
I think George and maybe you Erica get
that to you. it gets forwarded to you
and I'm out of the picture. Extensions
out of that picture. We're going to get
our own general outreach email.
So, I'm not seeing anything yet. Rachel
just said, "Yeah, we'll use it for the
county employees because it's an Ashlin
County email address."
Is that making sense?
Started out UW, now it's all county. So
there is an email address that's about
the plan that George and I and Dan have
access to. I don't know if Eric I don't
I don't but so there is an email and
that's what's on the website so that
people can submit comments about the
plan to that email address with with the
word extensions not in it. The word
extension is not in it. Okay. The email
address is
um
I got to find it here.
So then who actually consolidates those
comments and where do they go?
So on the
um
there was a bunch of emails. Did I end
up deleting it
for when I got back? But uh the email
was supposed to say or anybody that
direct was directed to the email. It's
supposed to say if you want specific
response, please acknowledge that you
want a response in the email. Otherwise,
it's just comments and they're going to
uh coalate and George and I will um have
access to those and can be able to divvy
them up wherever they need to go um
based off those subcommittees. I'm
looking for where that be.
Okay, allow me to say that um at this
point discussion item C is simply about
tools. We're only talking about tools
that we would want to be able to deploy
in service of our engagement with the
public. We haven't invited engagement
with the public other than to attend
these meetings which was made in the
public announcement.
And when we know how a website would
work or how surveys would actually work,
then we can issue invitations for public
participation and we will have to have
have decided how we will manage their
input in those in instances. So, so to
make it even more confusing for you,
Lisa, the email is extension info
wisconsin.gov. I'm glad it's coming up
again because it it is a tangled web and
we wanted something different and then
we thought, oh, we'll use the same one,
but it it needs to be like probably
should have it like comp comprehensive
planning at with SC at Ashlin County.
Exactly. Is it that's what I want. It
might need to be something changed on
that email address. It hasn't nobody's
been used. It's out. Was it in the uh
George, was that email address in the uh
It's not the public notice that went
out? It's not anywhere right now. So, I
I'll take to action item to ask Rachel
to adjust the name on the email. Yeah.
Okay. Love it, Liz. Thank you. On our
county website, can the folks of the
community go on there and see an update
or anything that we're doing with the
comprehensive plan?
Not yet. So the first step toward that
would be to post our minutes of our
meetings to that website. Right now the
only things there is a copy of the 2016
comprehensive plan which is a great
foundation if people want to understand
what we're talking about. Also people
are so addicted to social media. Um, is
there any way that we could have a a
site that they could use to have
information but not to comment because
the comments would be crazy.
There would be too many and nobody would
be able to answer them. But like
aformational
Facebook site.
Thoughts on that?
We I use Facebook for work extensionally
extensively extensionally.
[Laughter]
Not enough coffee today. Um and and so
my the way I set my page up, I can share
and people can take stuff and share it.
But I agree with you. Um
the question about a Facebook page is
who who runs it? Like who posts? And
then I I know it's supposed to be an
interactive page because the whole thing
is built on public input, you know, to
drive the future of the county. And
people are weird. They say the strangest
things. I I don't know how if you could
cut off count comments that would be
almost anti- Facebook, but somebody
needs to be the carrier or the keeper of
that and then either um cut people off
if they're getting mad or, you know, um
give factual information. You need a
keeper. Yes, for sure. Yeah. I don't
think the county has a site. I know like
we have land conservation has a site and
I think there is a couple other
departments that might have a site but I
don't think there's actually a county
site. Does anyone There isn't. There's
not. There isn't. What are you referring
to, Mary Joe? What do you mean by site?
A a social media site, Facebook or any
other social media. Okay. Thanks. Yeah.
And I would just say that I think we
avoid it. Um,
even with comments off, it's like I I
don't know. I don't use any social
media, so I don't know, maybe I'm a bad
example, but I think it's just uh
it it's it's just uh creates headaches
and we set it up and then there it's not
updated and then it I think a web page
is better and we direct them to a web
page that we can say, "Hey, Rachel, can
you update?" or it at least has
something on there. It's recent. You
know, it's I think that's my feeling is
I don't think social media is maybe I'm
wrong. I'm might be the youngest person
in here and I'm not on social media so
maybe I'm the wrong but I
Yeah, it's I I agree the website would
be great. I mean I I You have your mic
on for a reason. Um just memory
problems. Oh, okay. Um I think my
observation would be let me make this
one comment that um I think social media
could be very useful in in inviting
people to make a comment in a different
like on the county website or to submit
something to a central location so that
we're not scattered. But so for issuing
an invitation useful PR but for
collecting information probably too
complicated. Uh yeah, Erica, I would
just say that yeah, if we're issuing
invitations to come and speak or to like
post, you know, the basics of an agenda
or what might it be, I think it probably
should go on the Ashlin County Extension
site if there's because there's no other
like we we we can't start a social media
campaign from scratch
without sufficient
leverage behind it to actually get
people to add to their feed. But
extension Ashlin County already has a
few thousand. It's not a lot, but it's I
mean it's enough and then it's sharable
and then people can come. But yeah, I
mean I don't think we invite feedback
about things on Facebook because it's
not an official county space. Instead,
we invite feedback at the meetings where
where it's captured.
Makes sense to me. Elissa, would would
that be viable? I promote a lot of
Ashlin County groups and businesses and
farmers by just merely saying um UW
extension works in Ashlin County. Here's
a great event to um increase a farm
visit, farm tour or the clean sweeps. It
was the third list. We did a survey at
the clean sweeps. It was the third
listed thing, most popular thing that
people got information about clean
sweeps. Over 100, 300 people came on
Saturday and that was number three after
um daily press and um
um local newspapers. So, so people do
read it. That being said, if the county
if you wrote a press release and sent it
to me, I would just post it and say,
"Here's news about Ashlin County comp
plan. Please share and blah blah blah."
you know, so if that Ashlin anybody
could do that. You know, League of Women
Voters loves to share a lot of stuff and
yeah, that that could be done, but I
didn't want to be the official Ashlin
County Facebook.
But sharing stuff, yeah,
Pat, so like Brad, I'm not on social
media and so far I have refused to be on
that. I don't think that's going to
change. Um, but it's not lost on me when
we look at C there that those are
electronic formats and we know from our
broadband study a few years ago and you
know hopefully we get Norvado to expand
here. Um, we have a lot of people
without access to broadband and so if
we're not careful we're not we're going
to end up with a biased sample on who we
contact. So yes, we can contact people,
you know, through extension and get
some, but unless we do enough things to
get a representative sample of people in
the county, you know, we could end up
with a bias. Um, so we could add maybe
we print something and send it out. Um,
with the tax bill, for example, we're
mailing anyway. The city of Abselum has
over the years added more things when
they mail out the tax bill than they
used to. And that might be just a
paragraph in there, you know, a fourth
of a sheet or whatever to add that when
the tax bill goes out. And the timing
would actually be pretty good as far as,
you know, when people get that. And then
we know we're covering
a large number of people,
you know, but it'd have to get out to
every, you know, body with those tax
bills.
Other comments on this agenda item?
If not, we'll move on to the next one
which is 5D
review and approval of participation
plan. And I made a note on my copy here
and this my note is that um
we can vote to approve this plan as it
is been adjusted
and it those of us who vote in favor of
it then have a right of moving for
reconsideration.
So then we could it can be moved for
reconsideration at our next meeting. And
so we won't be locked in completely if
we approve this plan today, but we'll at
least have a um a guideline to go
forward. Um my view of the of the
participation plan is one, it's required
by the statute. Uh two, that this meets
all the statutory requirements.
uh we don't know have to need to know
exactly who is doing which piece of this
or which tools we're using more or less.
That's not required. So we can meet the
requirement of having an actual
participation plan in place if we would
like to approve this today. We might
not. I did most of the work on just
there's a lot of superolous background
information into the Bernett County
plan. We don't need to know the history
of why the law requires us to do this.
We just to know what have to say what we
plan to do. And so that's the markup and
I invite discussion and comment and see
if we want to do anything with this bet.
So if we approve this today, would the
next version that we look at have all of
this crossed out language out and then
what would amount to a clean copy or
would you bring back the same document
or or both? There is a clean copy in the
consolidated draft. It's the clean copy
already. But would
But would you Yeah. But would you only
be bringing back the clean copy or would
you be bringing
You can bring back both copies when
you're doing reconsideration there. The
two copies have exactly the same
wording. One's just not showing the
deletions and one is showing the
deletions.
I mean, those those two
versions are exactly the same. Yeah. As
I kept reading, I thought, "Oh,
it was it was redundant." I'll just say
that. Um, anyway, I just want clarity.
If we bring it back for reconsideration,
are you talking about the entire file or
are we proposing only the clean copy?
Oh, so if we vote to approve this, we're
voting to approve the clean copy because
if you voted to approve the markedup
copy, you would be approving
all those deletions that are in the
markedup copy. So, it amounts to exactly
the same thing. Yeah, I see what he's
saying. Exactly the same thing. Yeah. I
didn't realize until I had waited
through everything. Sorry. And um just
for anybody else in case a meeting from
now they decide to read things and then
realizing
other
um do I are you um do we have to have um
a plan that meets the minimum
requirements of law like in place right
now for any reason?
Is there we should just Erica, you maybe
have a little bit better understanding
than I do about that. The um the
timeline that Northwest Regional sent us
said that we should have a plan in place
this month, a public participation plan.
Okay. Yeah.
So then you know if with that if there's
a caveat that says this is an organic
document that we will be finding new
ways then you can change it and adopt
it. They want this is the minimum that
means you're um qualified or whatever.
Um, but we there's other things.
I still am unsettled with a
communication plan where it doesn't say
when things are happening or who's doing
it. But if this fits the law and the law
doesn't say you better say when you're
going to do it and who's doing it, then
this would suffice. But knowing that
this is an organic thing and we're going
to keep adopting it. I mean, we're going
to have a radio station on that is
located in downtown Ashlin by the end of
this year. So, I would want something at
some point that says part of our actual
plan that we're going to enact involves
radio programming where members of the
community or this committee come on and
talk about what we're doing and why it's
important and that kind of thing. You
know, if if we can make this adaptable
and organic and change it as we go,
cool. Then let's vote for this. Then we
check off the box for the law. But this
is not like a plan that's drivable
yet. Does that make sense? It says right
it says right in the plan and taken
right out of the Bernett County plan uh
that there will be changes that this is
this is the baseline but there will be
changes as practical circumstances,
funding other
factors uh come about. Yeah. Does that
answer your question then? Well, I when
I read this, I had no expectation that
all the details of how everything would
happen would get done. This is a plan
and then the details get fleshed out.
And obviously, you're right, there's a
lot of fleshing out to do on the actual
details that get carried out. Um, but if
you're looking for a motion to approve
this and we bring back at the next
meeting just the clean electronic copy
so that it's both aren't in there,
you know, then it's just a clean copy. I
would make that motion to approve the
clean copy of the public participation
plan.
That's your motion.
I think that that there already is a
clean copy, Pat. Do you know that? Well,
I just don't want to see in the packet
all the pages with the crossed out stuff
next time. So that when we put the
packet in next time, we're only looking
at the clean copy.
It's in the packet. It's It's already
there. If you click on just that one,
you don't see the other one.
Right. So the
No, both versions are in the packet. And
that's Pat's saying it's confusing
because both versions are in the packet
and only wants the one for the next
meeting. Only the clean copy in the Do
we need it in the packet that the next
meeting? Well, George, in case someone
for reconsideration, if you vote in the
majority, you can bring it back for
reconsideration. He wants the
opportunity for someone to bring it back
for reconsideration if someone decides
they want to make some changes at the
next meeting. And when you bring it back
for reconsideration, it has to be at the
very next meeting after it was approved.
Um otherwise that opportunity lapse
after the next meeting, right? And
reconsideration can only be moved by
someone who voted in favor of the plan
to begin with. At the next meeting. At
the next meeting.
A motion. There's a motion made to
approve
uh the Ashlin County comprehensive plan
for public participation plan as
presented. Is there a second? I I'll
second that. There's a second. So now
for discussion, Erica, do you have a
comment? There are a few highlighted
areas in the clean copy around a couple
of different things like around the
issue of the email address whether we
insert postal addresses these sorts of
things. So I think if and when we bring
it back perhaps we say you know adopted
on this state edited and updated on
whatever later all the later dates that
we that we do that.
which sounds fine to me. I mean the that
email address and
um postal address are not a legal
requirement but I they should be in our
final version and so I think that would
come back under reconsideration.
So the one hesitance that I have on this
plan is that like there's I think seven
stages. Um and there's basically a
public meeting in each of those stages
and we're now
uh I guess 18 months from needing to
adopt it. Are we going to be able to
have at least seven different public
meetings that address these in this next
18 months?
Well, it's pretty easy to have a public
meeting. This is this is officially open
to the public right now. Well, I thought
there something that there was a time
frame on the amount of time for noticing
it. And maybe that was just the hearing
and not the meeting, but I
public hearing. The public hearing has
that and there's only one public
hearing, I think.
Um,
right. There's a public hearing required
after the the plan has been written in
its final form or in its preliminary
final form so the public can object or
or approve or suggest changes before it
goes to the accounting board for final
approval.
Um I just I don't know what the it for
the public meetings. It just says uh at
a minimum the requirements of stat state
statute 19.31 pertaining to public
meetings and notification will be met. I
don't know what the minimum is but
that's like seven and 30. If it's 30
days with the minimum public notice on
that 30 days, seven, we're really
pushing getting seven meetings in.
If it's only two, if it's only 10 days
notice, we can probably get it. But I
mean, if you're talking seven of the
months to get I mean, yeah, I guess we
could do seven months in a row, but
we're not in those stages then. Mhm.
So I don't know what state statute 19.31
mayor Joe requires for Morango. We're
our comprehensive plan. We meet monthly
and um the Northwest Regional Planning
Commission when they get started on
this, they'll start scheduling those
meetings and helping to get those
organized. And then once you come up
with a draft plan, then that gets posted
for public review and the public has 30
days to review it before the final
hearing and that's where they would
offer comments or support and that sort
of thing. But that class one public
notice is is at the end when you
actually have something to review and
they that has to be notified 30 days
before the public hearing but that's
only a one-time event.
But Brad, were you talking about public
meetings? Public meetings that each
stage has a public meeting and the
public hearing is in stage seven. But
like stage six, it says open house and
public meeting. That's two events that
have to be publicly noticed. And I don't
know what 19.31
what the minimum. I I just don't want to
put us in a bind with that. We got to
like go ahead and notice the first
meeting when we're not ready for that
first meeting yet.
Well, what is are we required to have
seven meetings? Is that what you're
saying? that that's what I'm saying is
do we want each stage to have a public
meeting as as something that's in here?
That's what like that seems like maybe a
lot but maybe I'm but maybe like Mary
Joe said monthly meetings we just
schedule them and and then go and we got
we just hit the seven seven months
leading into 30 days. Basically what
will happen is you'll have a meeting
related to each topic like there'll be a
meeting for agriculture cultural and
natural resources and at the meeting
then Northwest Regional Planning
Commission would review the background
elements the maps the items that were in
the previous plan and then for that
second piece that Lisa referenced early
on that's the policy part and that's
where you would mention the goals goals
related to agriculture, cultural
resources and natural resources in the
previous plan were this and here were
the activities or the objectives.
Are these still relevant? What things
should we cross off and then that's
where that is the public meeting so
people could attend that and weigh in.
Then doing that, we just went from seven
to 27 or 28. Um maybe even more because
this this each stage of this plan
has stage two is data collection and
analysis. Okay, that's easy. But that
means seven meetings because we have
seven sections. And then issue
identification, that's another seven
meetings. And then develop goals and
objective, another seven meetings. And
then strategy development, another seven
meetings. And then if we do it by each
one, I think we want to group them all
and have meetings. Not we because that's
a lot of meetings to to to have. If
we're going to have monthly meetings
and go through these stages
um that are listed is
we that's my concern is the way this is
listed. It's a lot of meetings depending
on how we're going to do it.
I think it will help you get to the
guidance part from the regional planning
commission. I agree. We have the scope
of work from Northwest Regional
Planning. The timeline listed within the
last three pages of the scope of work
lists seven meetings
and they're calling it steering
committee meetings, but it's about each
of those seven sections.
And I believe this is what they mean by
open meetings, right? So this meeting is
an open meeting. And so each of these
seven things will be talked about in
this meeting, open to the public. And
then the last one is actually steering
committee meeting eight. Consider public
comment, draft plan finalization,
approve resolution.
Um so all of those come together but
they then they also sorry in public
meeting seven say month 1213
um should sort of be our public
openhouse and discussion around all of
it
and that would be your public hearing
most likely. Right.
Yes. So, she's exactly correct and
that's sort of what I was trying to
describe.
Other comments or discussion on the
motion that is on the floor?
I will add my thought on this section
that Brad is referring to
at the end of this uh plan document
which is public participation plan
planning stage and adoption process.
I I take this as a guideline
uh that some of these things are going
to happen concurrently. Yeah. Uh
this is kind of an outline kind of a
checklist rather than a prescriptive of
a lockstep pattern to follow and that's
my interpretation of this. Other
comments that was exactly my question.
Is this part of the minimum required by
the state law this whole section?
because I also thought it was a
checklist. Like if you look at the
pre-planning, I mean, we've already met
multiple times on all of that. So, is
this just like here's your to-do list,
make sure you're checking off this
stuff, or is this part of the minimum
required by the end of June that Erica
mentioned earlier? We want to have a
public participation plan by the end of
June. Is that part of the state
requirements? Okay, here is the state
requirement.
The governing body of a local
governmental unit shall adopt written
procedures that are designed to foster
public participation,
including open discussion, communication
programs, information services, and
public meetings for which advanced
notice has been provided in every stage
of the preparation of a comprehensive
plan. The written procedures shall
provide for wide distribution of
proposed, alternative, and amended
elements of a comprehensive plan and
shall provide an opportunity for written
comments on the plan to be submitted by
members of the public to the governing
body and for the governing body to
respond to such comments. That's the
requirement. There's a lot of
flexibility in how you go about meeting
the requirement.
So everything after that paragraph that
you read on page two of our notes,
everything after that is like Cadillac
stuff.
You you those are those are the guidance
basically that originally came from
Northwest Regional Planning for for
Brunett as to how to meet those
requirements. So it flushes out a whole
lot more than the the really you could
do do this on a really bare bones basis
if you had to. So what I'm trying to um
ascertain then is the idea that there's
quote seven meetings or a certain number
of meetings that is all like Bernett
County and and us what we think and
regional planning and their experience
but there's nothing that says you have
to have this many meetings in these
stages. All of that is like supportive
documentation for being effective but
it's not like required. So, uh, once we
have the expertise of Northwest Regional
Planning on board, which we don't
actually have yet, uh, but I would say
it is
my interpretation that you can meet this
requirement in a lot of different ways
and this is the guidance basically that
Northwest Regional Planning has in their
playbook for how a county can go about
meeting the requirement. The other
requirement are the legal notice
requirements which stand for all of our
public type of meetings and hearings of
their different categories. And it does
stipulate that for that final
comprehensive review that we meet that
30-day requirement. Yeah, but I think
it's just for that final one. Other
discussion.
Yeah, I I I agree. I'm just saying it
seems like in the that public
participation plan by planning stage and
adoption. It seems like we're
separating things that are going to get
grouped and I don't I just don't like
that. Simplicity straight to the point
is what it should be. We don't need
seven stages if we're not going to go
through each stage sequentially in my my
mind. That's that's what I like. Seven
stages is great if you're going to go
through them sequentially, but if we're
just going to go through them all kind
of at once,
then why have seven stages? Why not just
say, "Here's what we're going to do." Be
direct that. I I hate this. Oh, we're
going to do it all flowery, but we're
not. We're going to do it. And so, I
don't think we need the seven stages if
we're not going to go through the seven
stages.
So, each section, Brad, or each stage?
Nope. Nope. Nope. May uh Mayor Joe, I
don't think you have the actual
document. It it's what's on the screen
there. If you scroll down, there are
stages of the public participation. It
has nothing to do with the the different
sections. It's how we're going to get
the information to write the plan and
part of it is, you know, writing the
plan. So, there's stages there. Yeah.
like the I agree the data collection
analysis stage that's what Northwest
regional planning is doing for us that
that that can stay there but if we're
going to do issue identification and
develop goals and objective in one
meeting then why have two stages
because you only do it for one topic
like agriculture cultural and natural
resources they it takes about 90 minutes
to present the background information
and go through goals and activities and
that then we don't need two different
stages to say issue identification and
develop goals and objectives. That can
be one stage.
That's that's what I'm saying is we have
seven stages
of strategy development. Is that part of
these meetings? The meeting is going to
be strategy development, develop goals
and uh objectives, issue identification.
Is that what the meeting is going to do
is all three stages? Then why do we have
three separate stages for it?
Because to me to me if we're going to
come together and say we're going today
we're going to do strategy development
then we need to separate that out. But
if we're going to do issues and
opportunities or goals and objectives
and strategy all in the same meeting
they don't need to be separate stages.
It confuses things. And if I see this,
I'm like, wait, why are we talking about
uh existing and develop new strategies
to meet the goals and objectives? We
haven't even talked about the goals and
objectives yet. Let us digest that. And
so I think we want to merge these stages
into something. Erica, it does seem like
it would simplify things if we
uh consolidated the language and made
the scope of work from NWRPC
coordinate with the public participation
plan, right? So that we're using the
same terms and then we can refer to this
the months if we don't have dates yet,
we can refer to the month that this is
going to happen in the timeline.
Um because I think that would that would
pull together what Brad wants and then
also keep us on track for what Northwest
Regional Planning is considering. Other
comments and discussion.
Pat,
I never interpreted that as you had to
have a separate meeting for every stage.
I interpret that as you could lump them
together as it seemed to work.
I I understand that interpretation, but
it just why not lump it together? If
we're going to do it one way, why not
just do it that way instead of saying
because if I'm a member of the public,
I'm I say, well, I want to I care about
making sure I'm part of the public
participation for goals and objectives,
but I don't care about how we're going
to get to them. Well, I think it's go
back to the statute that George read
from the state. There's this paragraph
that gives you a broad outline and then
the state doesn't say here's the gory
details. They leave that to you because
everybody's going to have their own
version. And I think the same thing is
here. They just articulated the things
they wanted you to get through or but
then leave it to us to decide how much
to lump. You know, we might think we
could lump three things together.
Somebody else might think they could
lump two. Depends on how things go. And
then and we just do it. I that's what I
just say is do it from the get-go. If
we're planning on only having seven
meetings, that's going to cover those
three of those stages each time each
time, then let's only have one stage for
those three stages. And I think it's too
early for us to decide if we want or
not. Let me bring this back to chair. I
want to ask Gary, if you're online, if
you have an observation,
I had to unmute my speaker. Um, my only
concern, I'll sound like a broken
record, is at the very beginning of this
letter, it says reviewed by everybody.
Has this been thoroughly reviewed by all
of us and um, Northwest Regional
Planning? Because the very first
sentence in this, go to back to page
one, says reviewed by everyone.
It says right there, prepared and
reviewed by Ashen County and Northwest
Regional Planning.
I think we're reviewing it now.
The the very top about who who put it
in.
Um well
this document
tape was provided by Northwest Regional
Planning and they basically
this document was basically written by
Northwest Regional Planning in its
unmarkedup form by Northwest Re for
Bernett County. So I think when we're
talking about this this outline which is
basically just kind of a a timeline
it's broken into like these stages but
it's basically just a time a sequencing
of what happens in a certain order but
you know I understand this is basically
being the prescription given by
Northwest Regional Planning. Now they
were invited to participate today but I
guess they were unable to do so. Um
so my view is
my preference would be to go ahead uh uh
to approve this as presented subject to
recision at our next meeting. Um
hopefully we'll have Northwest Regional
Planning in online between now and the
next meeting and uh we can bring it back
for further discussion. But we'll have
because if if we want to rewrite this,
someone actually has to rewrite it.
And
if if seven of us rewrote it, we all end
up with different rewrites, right? So
I'm more comfortable just sticking with
the way that it was originally
presented, I think, by Northwest
Regional Planning for Bernett and we
should just maybe consider a guideline.
Any other discussion? Lisa, one thing as
we've been all talking about this is I
really and I know they were invited for
today, but I really feel like we need
regional planning. I'm not sure when
they come on as the paid partner because
I think they could answer a lot of these
right off the bat. You know, like we
were waiting to before we got them
because they're waiting for the grant um
announcement, but we know we got the
50,000 and then we know the county is
going to put in 25 right in the finance
committee. So, they got 75,000. I I
would love to know when they are coming
in to just sort of say, "Here, you guys
are the keepers. You're the experts."
Not that we're going to turn the whole
key over to them, but Okay. Point of
order. We're on discussion for the
approval of this participation plan
right now. The next agenda item will
address the question of Northwest
Regional Planning. It just makes it
harder to decide how to deal with this
issue without knowing when we get access
to their input. Pat. So, if I remember
right, we were supposed to approve this
in the month of June. So, we're in June.
And I take it that if it's approved and
you vote in the affirmative, you'll
choose to bring it back for
reconsideration at the next meeting,
which gives us time. Um, which is you
and perhaps some others to talk to
Northwest Regional Planning to clarify
some of the things in yellow or other
adjustments we might make or just to
better understand the things that we
have latitude to modify later without
any ill effects and as we go through the
planning process. So, it seems like we
need to approve this and if it's brought
back for reconsideration, we can tweak
it. We'll have more information before
the next meeting as you communicate with
Northwest and then we'll be done with
it, you know, or at least a version
that's meets our requirements, but yet
we can modify.
Further discussion, comments on this
motion to approve this uh public
participation plan as presented subject
to reconsideration at our next meeting.
If there's no further discussion, all
those in favor, please say I. I. I. I.
Any opposed? Any abstensions? So, the
motion is carried and we move on to our
next agenda item. Thank goodness.
Okay, I can answer Lisa's question from
previous if you'd like me to. I can
answer Lisa's question. Okay. So, um
that was hanging.
We are now a discussion at discussion
action item E5E,
review of Northwest Regional Planning
Scope of Work. Uh Erica,
uh so we do not have a signed contract
with so just as the update on the grant,
they cannot actually bill ours until we
have right the signed contract. This
whole CDBG Decker thing takes a lot
longer than even I imagined. So, there
was the pre-aggreement which they
required like 15 more documents from us.
That was sent to them two weeks ago.
They sent me back, but I've I've been
gone for the past week. They did send me
back right as I was leaving the
draft of a final agreement. I spent
today reviewing the final agreement. We
have a couple of minor details going
back and forth. We should be able to
finalize that by tomorrow, get that back
to them, but then it has to go to at
least three other departments within
Decker and their financial department to
get fully approved.
Then I believe we might have a semifinal
contract that then we sign and then we
send back and then maybe we get a
contract. So that's all to say
I believe that they are not uh
logging hours but they know that this is
coming. Um and Northwest Regional
Planning had planned for month four. So
we're in month two of what their
original schedule is. So month four or
August would be their steering committee
meeting one. And so that would be where
they present plan, update, overview,
issues and opportunities roundtable and
then the update narrative of
demographics, housing and transportation
pieces of that. So that would be August
I believe
to approve that final contract that
comes out.
I don't believe so. Yeah. I'm I think
the board at our meeting would have been
I think the end of March that we
approved already approved I think we're
preapproved the acceptance of of the
award as well
that
yeah
other discussion on the scope of work
uh oh that's the next item okay is it
yeah E is yeah review northwest regional
planning scope of work
and then it goes together with F which
is working relationship and scheduling
with Northwest regional planning because
I had been hoping that perhaps a
representative would be on the call
today but they are not. I uh had a
comment on scope of work. I think it's a
might be a subject worthy of some
discussion.
um in the first paragraph. Hey, do we
have that online because I don't
remember seeing in the packet and I
thought it was in an email but then I
can't find that email. So I don't
Okay, we just have the cover sheet. Do
we have anything on that element? It's 5
E and 5F. Yeah, it's it's not it's not
in the packet.
Yeah, if you just put it up on. So, I'll
just read you the the first paragraph in
their scope of work here, which is
pretty reasonable document. I only have
one thing that I think is worth
discussion. So, it says Ashlin County
adopted it current comprehensive plan
volume one background document volume
two vision and goals in 2016
as required by Wisconsin statute 66.1.
The plan must be updated every 10 years.
This update will revise data, maps,
forecasts, narrative, vision, and
implementation strategies to reflect
current conditions and long-term goals.
Now, this is where I wanted to focus
that guide growth and development over
the next 20 years.
And I believe that word growth merits
discussion along the way.
Uh
so there's a lot of interest in this
area. Uh there's visible interest in
what we call sustainability
and sustainability is a little bit more
um nuanced than the word growth
and economic growth has been kind of a
business mantra for the past half
century the United States
but I think there are views that it's
not always constructive growth.
uh that was reflected in the reaction to
the idea of changing Apossible National
Lake Shores to a national park. I think
that was just sort of a piece of
evidence that people
don't want to necessarily have a form of
growth that's going to be
perceived negatively or experienced
negatively. So I just wanted to say that
maybe what we ought to be thinking about
is constructive development and
sustainability
and not just
growth per se. And I don't know if
anybody else has a comment on that. I
just wanted to bring that up and I think
it'll be a discussion item along the
way. Other thoughts on this agenda item?
Uh Pat,
I think you make some good points there
that I agree with and I won't be labor.
Um the words development, you know,
carries a connotation and certainly
growth has implications are often
measured in terms of an economic sense.
Um
you know, planning for future changes.
You know, a word that's neutral in terms
of economic value, you know, that growth
has. But even the word development um at
our last farmland preservation meeting,
we had talked about parcel sizes in the
county and that was on our zoning
committee meeting um a week or two ago
and I've asked staff to send me the
electronic copy so I can send that to
the farmland preservation group. But
just this word development, you know, in
my mind what I see is, you know, a 40
and something carving out in the woods
and sticking something there. they call
that development but you know it carries
a negative connotation um you know when
you see it done in certain ways. So
you know I would just you know change is
future changes and then stay away from
those words that
go back to the economic model of we're
going to use our natural resources and
try to make money.
I don't know. We If Gary is still
online,
I don't know if you're still there,
Gary. Yep, I'm here. So, since you have
the the economic development element, do
you have thoughts on this question?
Well,
what one of the problems with is going
to be economic development is just
where's the business and then the
businesses are going to ask us where's
the people?
And so it it's going to be a tough
issue because
um businesses need people and we don't
seem to have them right now. I mean in
the southern half of the county we've
lost
hundreds and hundreds of employees over
the last 10 years. The mill in Park
Falls closed. They had 700 people
working there. The plant in Butternut
closed. The little plant in Glidden
closed. all of those jobs are gone and
there's nothing coming in except
tourism, but that isn't helping us uh at
the moment. So the
and and of course in Ash now we've got
North and College as everybody's aware
of. Um those jobs are gone. Um
I guess as a county we have to figure
out what comes first.
Um if we attract businesses
where are the people coming from and
again where do they live
and then you know how do we market
ourselves to a business of any sort and
say you know come to this area it's a
beautiful area to live what I'm seeing
where I live is a bunch of retirees like
myself
and that has a big effect on the schools
there's no kids in our families anymore
Um,
I I think we have to try and figure out
with some help where is the economic
development in the area. I mean, we talk
about little businesses, but um, we've
we've changed so much. We used to have
dairy farms. Dairy farms meant big
families in most cases. We don't have
dairy farms anymore as a majority in the
county. We have beef farmers. But um so
the big question for us economically is
what is Ashlin County's future? Um and
how do we get there? Um you know, I
struggle. I live in town of Agenda and
I'll brag about it. We're we have the
highest medium income and I've said this
before of any other town in in this
county. The reason we have that is
because we're all retired
state teaching or federal employees.
That isn't helping the county other than
we might buy something once in a while.
But um that's why the the plan has to
somehow address
how do we tout ourselves as a county for
economic development but then in the
back of our head say we need housing and
we need people and I don't know which
comes first because
um if somebody big wants to come into
the area and wants employees where are
they coming from?
I know that doesn't really answer the
whole question, but it it's been my
concern for a long time is, you know, u
I can show you 20 houses in this area
that are sitting empty because they were
bought by people from out of town who
use them as recreational property.
That's not helping a county in the long
run for people.
Thank you, Alyssa. And I think you're
you're really I think you all are
getting to the heart of what is this
visionary planning for the future and
maybe these answers will tease out a
little bit in conversations on that
trends and issues. You know, I worked
with five of the chapters with the work
groups like egg and natural resources
that um Pat was on transportation in
there. We just we said what are the
trends what's happening right now and
then we said what are the issues of
what's happening right now and in the
future and then that led to us coming up
with actions and objectives right so you
use the conversation and the data and
people's desires when you're looking at
issues and trends to move your plan
forward but you you got to have a a
whole part of that conversation has to
be that trends and issues and then what
are your opportunities? That's where all
this conversation really hits the mark
and and Northwest Regional Planning, I'm
sure, will have some data for us
to help us tap into that. Like we all
know that I keep hearing different
numbers, but 40% of our current Ash
County population is like people over
65. And the housing folks, Lauren Negro,
says it's likely to go higher in the
next 10 years. So that's a trend. What
are the issues associated with that
aging population? Then we decide what
our actions are. Um the word I would use
like I love your idea of changes whether
it because growth and development those
are old world terms you know like we
can't just keep growing anymore like
climate change says you can't just keep
growing. There's a limit but maybe it's
sustainable change. How do we build in
actions for sustainable change? whatever
that is. Um, but the actual idea of
what's going to happen and how do we
plan comes out of those discussions on
issues and and trends.
Uh, thank you, Mary. Joe, you have your
hand up.
Yes, thank you. Um,
I mean, we we are still having growth.
So, we talked about this a little bit in
I'm working on the town of Moringo
comprehensive plan right now and
um from
from the last decade we had 24% growth
in the town of Moringo versus the county
was 6%.
So, there is still growth occurring.
There's more growth in some areas.
And in the town of Morango, the average
age is in the 40s because we have a lot
of large families with young kids. So, I
mean, the important thing is we're still
going to have growth and development
here. And talking about development
gives you the opportunity to ask
yourselves, what are the things that we
value about this county? What are the
reasons and the lifestyles and the
livelihood for why we live here? How do
we want to guide that for the future to
preserve those qualities for future
generations?
What are the sensitive areas, whether
they're cultural or environmental or
natural resources that we want to
protect for the future? And how do we
protect those? Do we need to change
regulations or strengthen or how do we
want to protect those features? So,
those are all components of when you're
talking about development.
Uh, we are going to have increases in
population here as the temperatures warm
and people from the south move north. I
already know of people from Texas and
Arkansas buying houses in Ashlin for
when they can't live in Texas anymore.
Agriculture is going to be moving north
because there's going to be parts of our
country that we no longer have water
resources or the ability to grow crops.
And you know, we're not going to be able
to answer th those issues today or in
the next year, but when we talk about
development, it gives us the opportunity
to recognize the things that are
sensitive or the things that we want to
protect and to develop framework for how
we're going to do that for the next 10
to 20 years.
That's it.
Uh Pat, I like Alyssa's phrase,
sustainable change. you know, the
population up here was far greater a
century ago, you know, with the industry
that we had at that time. And this whole
thing with, you know, with growth and
development, there's kind of two big
points in our history where that at
least in recent history was after World
War II when we needed a stronger
industrial economy, Sputnik going up,
needed more scientists and that sort of
stuff. And then if you remember
inflation from the late 70s, early 80s
um in the presidential race of 80 um the
big question was how do you deal with
inflation? And the person that got
elected said the way to deal with
inflation is to increase the supply of
goods so people won't be chasing the
goods that are available because they'll
understand there won't be a scarcity
because there'll be more of it. So they
changed the tax laws in '86 to favor the
business community to produce more
goods. We have been living through
what's now 40 years of growth is the the
holy grail in development. And it's in
it's it kind of bugs me that it's so
inculturated. It was a choice that was
made by this country through tax policy
40 years ago that puts growth and
development above all else and then the
exploitation of natural resources. And
so sustainable change, it doesn't mean
that we don't have additional housing,
but hopefully it means we're more
thoughtful like infill and Ashland
instead of carving up another 40, you
know, that's, you know, still pristine
or something. So, and it makes us think
harder about these things. And it also,
you know, this ever, you know, I don't
know if we're going to be bigger or not
in the future. The state projects us at,
I think, um, 13,325
people in 25 years. And I did look up
their methodology for how they project
growth and it is on census data
including women of childbearing age and
and that sort of stuff and this is
before North and close. So they're
projecting us to have fewer people.
But this idea that if our population as
a whole in this county declines and I
don't know what's going to happen, so
I'll say if but it shouldn't be viewed
necessarily with a negative connotation.
It could be that our quality of life
improves because we do better at
protecting what's important to us while
still having a vibrant enough economy.
So that part is worthwhile. In 2014, the
municipality magazine, I think it was
2014, had a front page article on the
communities that were growing and
thriving. And it wasn't because they
figured out economic development. It was
because they made the community a place
that people wanted to live. social
things to do, good restaurants, quality
of life, feeling safe. People came and
they figured out what they were going to
do for a living, started their business,
work remotely. People figured that out,
but they were there because they wanted
to live there. And so that quality of
life is really important. The people
will come if you have that quality of
life. And it turns out they will largely
figure out those details of how they're
going to make a living once they get
there.
Other discussion?
We are at um
the Northwest Regional Planning Scope of
Work. Is there any further discussion on
item 5E
uh Northwest Regional Planning Scope of
Work? If not, we're at item 5F, which is
working relationship and scheduling with
Northwest Regional Planning. Seems to be
we may have discussed it. there's any
further comment on the working
relationship northwest regional
planning. If not, we move on to item G
which is
uh town inputs to planning. So there is
a
document which I compose
and so
I am suggesting and see what what you
all think but we have asked the um the
county departments to provide input.
We have asked the town the county
supervisors on the committees in which
they serve to request a discussion of
planning ideas and issues and for that
to be recorded in the minutes of the u
of the committee meetings.
And I would like to request send a
request to the town boards in the county
to do likewise to simply put on their
agendas an item for discussion of
comprehensive planning and to record any
discussion if they actually have any in
their minutes so that those minutes
would document their comments and be
available to us as input. So that's the
uh the idea here and this is laid out in
a similar idea of how they would put it
on their agenda.
Uh similar to way we're asking our our
county committees to put it on their
agendas and I know that you know some of
the committees are already doing this.
We have health and human services
tomorrow and Clarence who chairs that
committee Clarence Campbell put it you
know sent out right away uh week and a
half ago to put that on the agenda for
the health and human services tomorrow.
So is there a comment in discussion on
this uh proposal?
Uh listen, you had you showed me a
sample like of language, didn't you? At
one of the discussions we had where
you're going to invite like the town
chairs and the village chair to do this
process that we're describing of having
everybody
requesting.
Yeah, I love it. I think it's a great
idea.
Well, I think I will proceed to try to
have this happen. I don't think we need
a vote on it as long as there's a
consensus here that this is an action we
can take. If there's no further
discussion on that item, I'll move on to
the Oh, Pat, I was just curious. You got
2025 in there. Um, do we necessarily
know from a timeline perspective if we
want to limit it to 2025?
Uh, well,
I didn't want to overwhelm them. So, I
thought you can always ask them to do it
continue into 2026, but we would like to
have their input before the end of the
year so we can incorporate it in our in
our work. So, that's why I let I'd like
to have them comment before the end of
2025. So we have it as input or
consideration.
That was a reason for not not making a
further.
Well, you know, going back to Brad and
and all these meetings and all this
planning and all this scheduling stuff,
this says 2025. We're starting with
Northwest Regional Planning in August.
I'm just not certain or comfortable
necessarily knowing that the end of 2025
is it, but we could.
Okay. I don't know that we know how long
we're going to gather input yet. Could I
could I modify this to say 2025 and
early 26? Sure. Okay.
Thank you. That great suggestion. other
comments.
Okay, moving on to our next item then is
oh well this is just a point I wanted to
raise and it's a discussion item and
we're we're already almost two hours so
I don't want to take too much longer um
but if you read this I said consider the
potential for future realignment of some
county board committees for greater
efficienc and effectiveness. And I gave
an example for example realign land
conservation and forestry and w
committees as a single forestry
land conservation
and committee and then a separate
recreation parks and arts committee. So
the state statute actually requires us
to have a parks commissioner. Uh, so I
don't think we really have that and we
don't really have anything in the way of
county parks. But my interest in having
county parks has brought brought me to
think about
the idea that the planning committee can
broaden its thinking to consider whether
or not
the county is properly organized as in
its corporate functions and it committee
functions. I don't think it's something
we really
want to wrestle with right away. I just
wanted to point out that it's not out of
the purview of our thinking to consider
whether the county is actually organized
in its most efficient way and
particularly regarding committee
structures.
So any comments on that sub? just I was
going to uh follow up with just I think
it's a good idea especially because this
is a standing committee now but I think
we should just kind of kick this can
that can down the road until after
December of 2026
any of that sort of thing. I think that
that's what this this committee can do
in the meantime of the 10-year plans. I
think I I don't think we need to uh
take on more than what we already have.
I would like to state my concurrence
with Mr. Ray's comments. And listen, I I
think that makes a lot of sense and
maybe since you've raised the question
as we go through the next 18 months um
process, this kind of thing might come
up, right? Like how do we reinvent
ourselves as a county governance to be
more effective? So I'm thinking of a
thing in a goal that says the county
board should meet in different parts of
the county different parts of the day
and also try to involve youth. And so
that if that stays as an action that
might change or inform different
committee structures,
you know, maybe there's a engagement
with youth committee or something. All
I'm saying is that as we go through the
next 18 months, keep your idea in mind
so that when we're done, we can really
look. This is a time, you know, 10
years, a time for you to look at
everything about your county. Yeah. This
came up for me when I went down to the
forestry committee meeting uh about a
week ago.
Uh because, you know, well, we have a
recreation officer. That's a member of
the sheriff's department who deals in
enforcement. This is this is not someone
who's planning parks and recreation and
amenities for the citizens of the of the
county. It s doesn't seem that
recreation is well placed with forestry
because the folks in forestry are
experts on forestry.
So that's what brought it to mind for
me. But I totally agree that this is
kind of a kick can down the road in
thought. It's something to keep in mind
as we go through the comp plan process
and it's egg and extension and we no
longer really are an agriculturebased
committee. I'm the only one doing
anything with egg or food. We could just
be the extension committee.
Well, well said. Uh is Mary Joe still
with us? She might not she's uh Gary
your thoughts if any to contribute.
Well,
we want to start politics. you can start
them right there because I guarantee the
forestry would have a lot to say about
um expanding into a committee with
somebody else because um but that's
another topic. If you want to really get
into politics, let's talk about the size
of the county board.
Might as well get to the hot button
topics right off the bat.
Again, I think we could wait until
January of 2027 to start talking about
this. I agree. That's after the next
election. Gary
Pat. Well, so the next election is in
April of 2026 and then committee
assignments have to be made after the
election and these are two tyear terms
and so if you are going to reorganize,
you know, it's going to take some
advanced planning just so you can make
committee assignments after an election.
I'm going to say from having been on
land and water conservation for a couple
years or is it four years already or
three or whatever, I can't imagine that
merging with forestry given the
different things they do um and what
each has on their own plate. I would
agree that the parks and wreck stuff,
you know, was put somewhere and it's not
an easy thing. I think the bigger issue
with that is as a county we, you know,
having grown up in Bayfield County and
used to a lot of parks over there, it's
been kind of eye opening how relatively
little we have in Ashlin County. And I
think I think that's an important topic
to address and how it gets addressed, I
don't know, you know, at the moment, but
it's worth addressing. and maybe the
committee organization is part of why we
have relatively little of that because
it's just a very small piece of what a
committee has on their plate. Um the
other thing I would suggest is that you
look at the state statutes on what
committees were required to have and
what their charges are because I know
there's
guidelines from the state on that. So,
we will be limited into what we can do
also. But if we really are going to do
this,
I think it's about a 4-year process to
think it through and then make those
changes and put them in place after an
election. And I don't know that we have
time to delve with it before 2026, but
starting
in April of 2026, I could see a two-year
process to consider it.
other comments on this subject. I I
would just add I I I really think it's a
long-term consideration, not any
near-term kind of consideration, but
something to be thought about and maybe
it goes into comprehensive planning that
it should be thought about. Um
I'm particularly bothered that from my
reading of the statute that we ought to
have a parks commissioner and we don't.
Um, and it's my
I'd say I guess I would consider it a
personal agenda that the county ought to
consider development of maybe one good
county park per decade over the coming
years. Something, you know, central
Ashlin County, something southern Ashlin
County. These are real concrete services
to to families who live here. if we can
do it. If there are no further
discussion on that topic, we move on to
item five I which is publicity
and I have a proposal. Um
Dan isn't here today but
my thought was uh we need to raise the
the community awareness that this
comprehensive plan process is actually
taking place. So we there it's just you
know if you if we interviewed 15
different people down on the street
right now and they say do do you know
what the Ashlin County comprehensive
plan is being considered they say they
would say they know nothing about it. So
we can think of ways to raise awareness
which means we need to partic
the uh participation of of our press of
our newspapers and other outlets. And I
thought we could make a bit of a
publicity stunt planting a tree to
replace our trees that have just been
cut down. I don't know if anybody thinks
that's a good idea or a bad idea. I'm
just putting it out there. Lisa,
love it. I love the idea. And I'm
working on a potential project of um
perennial plants as food. So, I'd love
to see a little bit of rhubarb out there
and asparagus and blueberry bushes. But
I would start with one tree would be
great because I miss those ash trees
very much.
Other thoughts and comments?
Yeah. What kind of tree are you
thinking?
We might need a recommendation from the
land conservation forestry.
Well, on the one hand, apparently the
oaks like red oak have the most food
value um per tree, but then people
generally don't like acorns on their
lawn. But even planting that tree raises
the question of a lot of things going
on. You know, obviously with the ash
that's changing, but some tree species
are more suitable for where we're at,
you know, now than they used to be. Um,
so even picking that tree,
I think a rationale could be stated in
the context of the times we live and
where we live.
Right on. Makes sense to me. Other other
comments.
Uh, Liz, I think a nice apple tree.
Maybe we can do more than one. Um, the
other thing I noticed that, you know,
out front there's this his history
display.
uh that's been sponsored by what
Culver's I think
and uh we might think about trying to do
something similar to that that would be
a display out in front of the courthouse
like that to make people aware of the
comprehensive plan.
Um and we ought to be brainstorming
other ways of of raising consciousness
that this is going on because we're not
going to get anybody to come to public
hearings or public participation if they
don't know what's going on. I really
like this deal that was created for the
26 version of the
that's great. I mean cost a little money
to put something like this together, but
you know that's a real
put up on the bulletin board kind of
kind of thing if we could do something
like that again. Yeah.
What's
2026? I got that from
So, other ideas for publicity, Pat?
Well, I was going to suggest instead of
the the planning committee, I was going
to suggest the planning committee chair
because he's the chair, the county
administrator,
he's the administrator, the grant
writer, because one important reason for
having a plan is if you want to apply
for grants, it's good to have it in the
plan. And maybe that'll trigger some of
the townships and folks to say, "Hey,
I'll get more engaged than otherwise
because hey, if we could apply for some
grants and there's someone that might
help us, that's attractive." And then I
think Alyssa because she's Alyssa and
she's extension and we're going to use
extension to in the process and people I
think often think of extension when they
think of comp plans if they are familiar
with this at all. So what are you
signing us up to do? um to do the
publicity stuff with a picture in the
paper. But I seriously I think the I
think that group would be strategically
a good group to include. And I'll speak
for myself at least. I'm not sure I
would add anything to that picture that
the rest of you wouldn't already add.
That that's fun. And I think I my my
motion is that um we should have a um
beer and pizza party and come up with
ideas on how to promote this. I I love
the idea of a group picture because
they're like, "Oh, Pat, he's represents
me in the county and so does Bradley and
you know all of you and that is a visual
um stimulation. Plus a lot of you who
are in the southern part of the county,
the Glidden paper would pick that up.
Morris would pick it up. melon paper,
you know, I mean, you could really do
something fun and jazzy even with
photos, whether it's the tree
eventually, but I do love the tree and
actually I think three trees over the
last 5 years have been cut down because
we lost some pines.
So my notion for the the tree publicity
is that would be the pull committee and
that also gives a chance to say such and
such a person is leading the uh cultural
resources and facilities element and
such and such a person is leading the
agriculture and forestry element. And so
it identifies the people on the
committee who and on the staff who are
making contributions to this process and
putting a real name and a pace to a to a
an effort that the public can see. So I
I'll talk to Dan about that and see if
we make it happen. Pat. Well, as far as
planting a tree, it's, you know, getting
a little hard to come by at this point.
And if you're buying one that's been
bundled up and you might have a root
ball that's rootbound, you know, some of
these places if they don't sell a tree,
they keep it another year and it's all
rootbound, which isn't good as far as a
survival rate of a tree. Um, so if we're
going to get a tree, it's got to be we
have to decide what tree and make sure
it's a source where the survival rate is
fairly high cuz some of these trees,
there was some data out of the state
forestry plan I was reading for my own
stuff over the winter. I was a little
surprised at the survival rates of some
of these municipal trees that are
planted. It's not so great. So, we want
to pick the tree we want and then make
sure it's a good source. we have a high
chance of surviving. Maybe Chris Hoffman
could give us some input on trees. I've
noticed around the town just driving
today that there are a number of new
trees being planted around the city of
Ashland and u out of Msaskki Beach uh in
town here and uh in my view is you hire
a nursery to bring in a a fairly large
you know uh six-year-old tree and be
actually do the planting of it and the
committee's therefore to celebrate the
planting of it rather than actually
doing shovel and watering work.
even though we have some experts on the
committee. Uh Erica, I I would be happy
to write the press release on that. Um I
I think we'd want to think about the
length of it. Um maybe even including,
you know, if we have a finalized grant
agreement. Um, if we want to list who's
leading each subcommittee, then that's
getting kind of long, like talking about
the plan, talking about the tree,
talking about the grant, talking about
So, we could roll it out over a couple a
couple of, you know, press releases over
the next couple of months. Um, but I
would also put a plug in for Mary Joe
and her people in in giving us a vetted
list of ideas for trees because they
have the tree sale, they have the
expertise. I think that's actually
probably better than forestry at this
point. I would suggest just in the press
release refer to the a web page that has
some of the information we want to do in
there. Anyway, I um so I got a call from
Tom Stankard yesterday who's the editor
for Daily Press. He he wanted to ask me
about the demon Saturday demonstration
uh which I was very careful about
commenting upon. But um I mentioned to
him about the the comprehension plan
process going on forward and we need to
get ways raise public awareness and he
was uh right on board with that. So I
think we ought to get decent cooperation
out of Lisa Daily Press. Haven't talked
to anybody at Bottom line yet or some of
these other publications but it's a good
start.
Other comments uh ideas thoughts on
publicity?
If not, we move on to scheduling the
next meeting. I have that proposed here
for July 15.
Uh,
it's just a pencil and date. We could
see if we actually get a quorum on that
date, but it seemed like a good one to
me. I think that's again, it's a Tuesday
at 2 o'clock in the afternoon.
I I'll just let you know that uh I
recently have a staff member leaving so
that I'm going to be short staffed and
that might mean that I'm gone uh and
will not be able to make day day
meetings during the month of July. So,
okay, other thoughts, comments? Okay.
So, I'm going to pencil that in and have
that put on the calendar for now. And
then I would like to also just have the
the calendar pencileled in for um the
second Tuesday of each month at that
time and then we'll just have to work
around those pencileled in dates. Is
there any objection to that process?
Second.
Uh see is the 15th the second or the
third?
It isn't. Okay. Well, then I ought to go
with the uh with the third, I guess. Let
me look at the calendar here. Maybe I
some reason.
Oh, boy. See here.
Uh July,
August.
Okay. Okay. So, the third third I'll
pencil in the third then,
right?
Okay. Any other um
discussion? We have uh item number seven
is a second public comment period.
Is there anybody for public comment
online? Not seeing anybody. No one
present. We're going to move on to item
number eight, which is committee review
of public comments, but there were no
public comments, so I don't think we
have anything to say there. Pat. Well,
as far as penciling in dates, the county
keeps the calendar and then as
committees schedule meetings, they look
at the calendar to see what's open. And
so I think the question is when we're
talking about penciling in, are we
actually setting those in the county
calendar so that this room is set aside
then and we don't have other meetings
potentially getting scheduled during
that time? Yeah. My intention is to get
them on the county calendar. So that's
what pencing put them on the county
calendar but for members of committee to
understand that they could be they could
could be changed if we need to change
them. you can put it on the calendar
because you you know up until a week in
advance of the meeting you can change
the date or you can cancel the meeting.
Well,
when I look at September, I've got a
county board meeting that morning, but
we're we're looking at meeting at 2:00
in the afternoon. Sometimes finance or
zoning have been meeting in the
afternoon, which I'm on and Brad's on
finance. Um, so if we by penciling in if
if we're actually going to have on the
county calendar these dates popping up
then as we because right now I need to
talk to Brad about scheduling a finance
meeting and I need to know what's
available, what isn't. Um, I mean, do we
want to go out to the end of the year
and and pencil, you know, on the
calendar schedule the third Tuesday or
what is it whatever day of the week? My
my view is that um yes, I I'd like to
get our bid in for these times and
dates. I think um if they need to be
changed that Gary could make that call
about what's the priority. Uh but I I
would like to uh you know raise our hand
and say we we'd like to have these time
slots. So the third Tuesday of each
month without looking at Thanksgiving
and Christmas here. Um,
that's I think it works on all months
actually. That's the 18th of November.
It will work out really well because
it's the I think the
the uh county board, didn't it? They
just set like the last one, the fourth
except in September. It's the it's the
fourth Tuesday of every month going
through and so ex other than September,
the third Tuesday works. I would suggest
that we go ahead and think about a
different time because I can't take the
whole day off. We have a nine o'clock
and then a two o'clock. I just can't do
that. Yeah. So, I I would say September,
we either go the 2nd or the 4th and uh
but other than that, go ahead and do it.
If I get stuff on my calendar, there's a
better chance I don't schedule something
else over it. There's always going to be
conflicts with me, but there's a better
chance that I can make it if it's on my
calendar further in advance.
So that's why I have to schedule my
vacation
into May, early June now. It's already
scheduled for next year. I don't know
what I'm doing, but it's already
scheduled.
Okay.
So definitely be reconsidered at our
next meeting in July that this whole
idea of future meetings. Well, just I I
just wanted to understand when we say
pencil in in my writing on my calendar,
penciling it in, but if it's not showing
up on the county calendar, others could
schedule a meeting sometimes of which
I'm on that too. And then yeah, I list I
can only be in one place at one time. I
intend to put I intend to put these on
the county calendar with the
understanding that, you know, you can
change it. Okay.
comments
to share.
Okay, Gary comments.
Sorry, summary comments. Gary, anything
to be added? Uh, no, not at this time.
Thank you. And Okay. your
recommendations for future agenda items.
Anybody have something they specifically
want to put on the agenda? Lisa, can we
roll over that one about your um photo
op? Because that'll be a July meeting
with regional planning coming on in
August that might be a nice prepper. And
then maybe in August when regional
planning comes on there's something else
jazzy that you could do part two or
you know
other suggestions for future agenda.
Erica I would just suggest that we stick
to the calendar um the the scope of work
has month three as setup plan update web
page. So maybe we
work toward that and make sure that that
is on board by the next meeting. Uh it
also adds engage local units of
government
and then issue press releases announcing
plan.
Um so we're we are doing all of that but
maybe just make sure that we've we've
worked toward it and then we're kind of
checking it off at that meeting.
So, get your haircuts the day before the
meeting. Any other uh suggestions for
the next meeting? Uh if not, can I
entertain a motion to adjurnn? Brad so
moved. Mr. Ray moves to adjurnn. Second,
please. That will second. Mr. Kenny
moves a second. Discussion.
All in favor say I. Any opposed?
Meetings adjourned to the public access
session. Uh if there are any public
wanting to talk to