Media Story

Group organized to advise county on PDR program

By DAVE RANK - Daily News Staff
September 11, 2005

Land preservationists in the county have until February to organize and suggest ways Washington County can start a program to save farm land and natural open spaces from development.

Tuesday night, the 13-member Purchase of Development Rights Task Force met for the first time.

“We have a lot to do and a very short time to do it in,” said Sue Millin from the Ozaukee Washington Land Conservation Partnership, who will provide staff support for the task force, composed of county residents and government officials.

The task force was put together by the county board¹s Planning, Conservation and Parks Committee and charged with developing a plan and identify funding so the county can start a proposed purchase of development rights program that would restrict suburban development on select rural land in the county.

Under such a program, willing landowners would maintain ownership of their property but voluntarily sell easements that would keep land in agricultural use, or in the case of woodlands and wetlands, maintain them in their natural state.

The February deadline was proposed by Douglas Johnson, Washington County's administrative coordinator, so that the PDR program can be presented and explained to both the PCPC and the county board before the board casts a final vote on the future of the county¹s half-cent sales tax, which must be decided by mid-2006.

That vote, said Mary Krumbiegel , county board supervisor from the town of Jackson and a task force member, may occur as early as April.

Local sales tax money is being eyed to fund a purchase of development rights program.

So far, the county¹s Planning and Parks Department has allocated $100,000 of its annual $500,000 sales tax park development allotment for a pilot program to buy development rights on farmland and other open spaces around county parks.

In September, the county board also passed a recommendation that the county sales tax be continued past its 2006 sunset, and included a clause in that resolution advocating that a portion of the county¹s annual sales tax revenues be set aside for a purchase of development rights program.

And that is the task of the force gathered together Tuesday night, explained Debora Sielski, assistant administrator for planning in the Planning and Parks Department.

"This task force is tasked with coming up with a plan of action,” she said, “so the county board has a very clear idea how the money would be used.”

Daniel Stoffel, a county board supervisor from the town of Kewaskum , was elected chairman of the task force. Perry Lindquist , from Slinger, and a former county conservationist, was elected vice chairman.

Also on the task force are Kevin Dittmar, a developer and member of the Metropolitan Builders Association; Shawn Graff, president of the Ozaukee Washington Land Trust; Paul Bautzmann , town of Hartford; Ike Roell, town of Farmington; Jon Etta, town of Wayne; Helmut Wagner, town of Erin; Bill Neureuther, town of Richfield; Tony Warren , West Bend Mutual Insurance Co.; Ellen Goeller; and Scott Lofy.

The next task force meeting will be at 7 p.m. , Nov. 22, 2005.