News Article

Date: June 10, 2006
By DAVE RANK - Daily News Staff

Ag secretary not allowed to make PDR address

County Board chairman allows letter, invitation to hear debate

Wisconsin’s secretary of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection won’t address the Wisconsin County Board Tuesday because board Chairman Thomas Sackett told him not to.

Wednesday, Secretary Rodney J. Nilsestuen asked Sackett if he could "provide the board with an overview of what’s going on in the state and nation" in the field of land preservation and the programs available such as purchase of development rights.

The County Board chairman politely said no.

Tuesday, the board will once more debate the merits of establishing the first county-funded purchase of development rights program and decide if the county will go through with the project, which initially received County Board support in March.

Nilsestuen said he wanted to provide background information on land preservation and where the state stands on the issue. He had been contacted by local proponents of the PDR program and asked to address the board, he said.

Sackett said he declined the secretary’s offer because of time constraints Tuesday and the wish to let the county supervisors hash out their views.

"It isn’t appropriate for me to allow the agriculture secretary to speak when the citizens of Washington County aren’t allowed to speak," Sackett said.

"I wanted to be clear, it wasn’t our intent to insert ourselves into a local debate," Nilsestuen said. "This issue isn’t unique to Washington County or even to Wisconsin."

Sackett did invite Nilsestuen to write a letter outlining the information he wished to share with the board. That letter will be read into the minutes Tuesday.

Nilsestuen said he will send the letter. He may show up in the board room Tuesday as well, he added.

"I may attend. Chairman Sackett invited me to attend," Nilsestuen said. "I may do that to listen to the debate and be available if anyone has a question."

The County Board meeting begins at 9 a.m. and will almost immediately take up the PDR issue.

Supervisor Daniel Stoffel, town of Kewaskum, is scheduled to repeat the presentation he made in March outlining the PDR proposal worked out by a PDR task force he chaired since November.

Herb Wolf is also on the agenda to report on a fact-finding trip of 50 officials from Wisconsin he and two others from the county participated on in April. Wolf is an assistant administrator of the Planning and Parks Department.

They toured three eastern states that have had successful PDR programs in place for the past 20 or more years.

Following that, the two work groups Sackett appointed will make their presentations, explaining why or why not the county should start a PDR program next year.

After those reports, the full 30-member board will begin its debate before finally acting on a resolution forwarded Wednesday by the board’s Planning, Conservation and Parks Committee. With a 5-2 vote, the PCPC recommended that the board rescind authorization to start a PDR.

Sackett said he is looking for a good dialogue Tuesday.

"This is a debate," he said. "It’s going to be very enlightening."

Next step:

What: County Board re-vote on a purchase of development rights program

When: 9:00 a.m. Tuesday

Where: Washington County Courthouse, Government Center, 432 E. Washington St., West Bend, room 1019, on the lower floor.