Newsroom

PDR NO’d
Washington County voters may claim they support land preservation efforts but they refused to put their money where their wishes are, soundly defeating the purchase of development rights proposal Tuesday by just under a 2-1 margin. more >

Making a pitch for preservation
The reliever who stopped Pete Rose's 44-game hitting streak in 1978 made a pitch to Washington County last week to stop the urban sprawl that is putting farmers out of business. more >

Washington County Debating PDR; Lancaster County Success Story
Washington County is hotly debating establishing the first, countywide initiative of its kind in Wisconsin to preserve farmland from urban sprawl. more >

To the Editor
Several letters written to the editor. more >

Realtors say ‘no’ to PDR plan
An advocacy group started by the Wisconsin Realtors Association is campaigning against the proposal Washington County create a purchase of development rights (PDR) rural land preservation program. more >

If high school students were the only ones to vote Tuesday ... 
The purchase of development rights (PDR) rural land preservation program on Tuesday’s ballot will pass in a landslide, if West Bend High Schools students have anything to say about it. more >

Land question draws $50,000
Groups campaigning on each side of Tuesday's referendum on a Washington County purchase-of-development rights program reported total contributions of $49,679 in financial statements filed with the county clerk this week. more >

Take a page from Native Americans
As we come together to vote on this PDR referendum, it is important to understand both points of view to make an informed decision. I acknowledge the positives to be gained by voting no, but I choose to present the side of voting yes. I ask the people reading this to please keep an open mind and listen to my words. more >

County waits for answers on PDR
County officials are as anxious as anyone for April 3 to be over. more >

Vote for preservation
Voters in Washington County and in the Town of Mukwonago in southwestern Waukesha County will be asked in referendums on April 3 whether they're willing to spend taxpayer money to help protect farmland from development. Future voters and other residents would appreciate a "yes" vote in each case. more >

An investment in planning, farming
Communities in the Eastern United States recognize that PDR programs encourage long-term planning and investment in farming. more >

Taking on some PDR questions
There are some fascinating elements to the wonderfully democratic debate over the April 3 referendum to save soil and water resources in Washington County. Interestingly, opponents say they are in favor of doing just that.  more >

PDR is about preserving water
It is a fact that Washington County’s rapid growth is affecting our water supply. Here are some undisputed facts. more >

PDR can spur collaborative effort
It seems not many issues cause communities to work together these days. However, starting a countywide Purchase of Development Rights (PDR) program could be one of them.
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PDR is about sustainability
Regarding all the opposition to the PDR (purchase of development rights) program, our national figure of 2 acres a minute being destroyed is very accurate. more >

Why speed up development clock?
Although born and raised in Minnesota, Washington County has been my home for 33 years. In that time, I think I have come to understand pretty well how the majority of its citizens feel about new government proposals for problem solving. more >

PDR is in the public interest
We believe that it is in the public interest, and for the security of generations to come, to preserve farmland. more >

Volunteers say ‘yes’ to PDR referendum campaign
An information blitz is under way promoting a "yes" vote on the April 3 referendum to start a county-run purchase of development rights (PDR) rural land preservation program.
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Preserve best of city and country
As long-time Washington County residents, we have come to realize that our living environment is almost ideal. We have access to big-city amenities, we can find most everything we need somewhere in the county, and yet we still have open spaces to enjoy. We have, at least right now, the best of city and country. more >

County sales tax can pay for PDR
As the proceeds from the local sales tax in Washington County continues to grow, it makes it more clear than ever that there is ample funding already in place for the proposed preservation program for our lands and water. more >

Pro-PDR grassroots campaign under way
A campaign in support of creating of a county purchase of development rights (PDR) rural land preservation program will have its public start Thursday night with a rally at the West Bend Mutual Insurance Co. more >

News Release
The Washington County Farm Bureau board of directors voted Thursday to endorse a “yes” vote on the April 3 referendum on preservation of farmland and water resources. more >

Land preservation is about vision and priorities
Is preserving prime farmland and natural areas one of the priorities of Washington County? Local public opinion surveys say it is. However, if you have been following the County Board debate, you know that they have been unable to come to a consensus on the issue and have now deferred the final decision to the voters through a binding referendum on April 3. more >

Save the farms
Ozaukee County voters won’t have any say in Washington County’s farmland preservation referendum on April 3, of course, but we should all be rooting for a yes vote. more >

PDRs give taxpayers much in return
As the April 3 referendum approaches for the preservation of land and water resources, there is a lot of both good and bad information floating out there. more >

Editorial: PDRs get to the heart of planning
In Owen B. Robinson’s column Feb. 6, he pointed out his opposition to the PDR currently being considered in Washington County. more >

Stewardship Fund helps state, and its businesses
While Gov. Jim Doyle's proposal to raise the bonding level for the Stewardship Fund may not seem like an economic development issue, many business people across the state see it as exactly that and more. more >

Editorial: Vanishing croplands
Drive on rural roads through southeastern Wisconsin on a chilly February day, and you can still find acres of windblown fields of white stretching into the distance. But the feeling of open space is illusory. Keep driving, and you'll soon run into subdivisions and office parks cropping up everywhere. From the Town of Richfield in Washington County to Pabst Farms in Waukesha County to Waterford in Racine County, farmland and open spaces are rapidly disappearing. more >

20,000 and counting
Lots of facts and figures about Washington County were dished out at the annual meeting of the Germantown Chamber of Commerce last week, but the number that stood out most was 20,000.  more >

Losing land, opportunity
Wisconsin is losing cropland faster than any other state in the breadbasket of the nation, the Midwest, jeopardizing not only the state's farm economy but also its profitability in the emerging biofuels industry, agriculture and land use, officials say. more >

Driven by many business successes
If the measure is either the number of new banks in the county or the number of recent manufacturing expansions, or the number of food chain additions, Washington County’s economy must be in pretty good shape. more >

County Board sends PDR to referendum
Local voters will have the final say in April whether the county will start a Purchase of Development Rights (PDR) rural land preservation program. more >

Public will settle land debate
There are lots of good reasons why the Washington County Board would want to allow the citizens of the county to vote up or down on a local program to preserve natural areas, water recharge tracts and prime farmland.  more >

News Release
WEST BEND—Voters in Washington County will go to the polls on Tuesday, April 3, to decide whether to invest in the preservation of farmlands, water recharge tracts and natural areas. more >