Oz Natural Area advocates ask council to waive or reduce fees for goat grazing permit

Speakers representing the Oz Natural Area asked the council on Aug. 19 to waive or reduce city permit fees related to a plan to use goats as a temporary biological control for invasive shrubs. Russ Buckowitz and Carrie Espenson (recorded comments presented to council) said the city plan commission gave unanimous approval on July 2 to a temporary, 30‑day goat grazing program in 2025, contingent on a site plan and permit. Buckowitz said the city later informed the group that permit fees could range from $150 to $350 and that unknown future fees could be imposed annually, which the speakers said no comparable Wisconsin communities require for similar biological control measures. Nut graf: Advocates argued goats would be used as a low‑risk ecological tool — analogous to introduced beetles used to control purple loosestrife — and said chemical treatments applied by private businesses pose equal or greater risks to groundwater and human health. They requested the mayor place the issue on the next council agenda and asked the council to waive the permit fee or reduce it to $25 and to ensure any future fees for goat grazing apply equally to property owners and businesses that apply herbicides. Speakers provided background on the Oz restoration project and called the grazing plan an educational and habitat-restoration opportunity. Buckowitz said the goats would be kept on temporary lease from a farm in the Town of St. Lawrence; advocates said the goats would not be kept in the city permanently. Council reaction: The presentation was received under public input. The mayor acknowledged the request and indicated the matter could be scheduled for a future council agenda for formal consideration.