Votes at a glance: Sawyer County Zoning Committee actions on rezone, CUP renewals, tower and permits

The Sawyer County Zoning Committee recorded a series of formal actions during its March meeting. Below are the items the committee voted on and the outcomes recorded on the record. (Listed in agenda order; outcomes reflect the committee’s roll calls, motion makers and seconds where given.)

Votes at a glance

- Rezone — Rezone number 25‑004 (Matthew Korman, Town of Media): Approved. Motion by Tweed Schuman, second by Gary Heinen; roll call recorded unanimous yes votes from members present. The rezone converts roughly 76.291 acres from Forestry‑1 to Agricultural‑1 for pasture land (tax ID 3996839967).

- Conditional Use Permit — CUP 25‑004 (Eugene Burt, Town of Draper): Denied. Multiple motions were considered. A motion to approve as a family burial plot failed for lack of a second; the committee later voted that the use was “like or similar” to a cemetery and then voted to deny the CUP. Roll calls are in the record; the final denial passed by majority.

- CUP 25‑024 (Jeffrey and Lynette Fix, Town of Lenroot): Approved. Request to build a 45×80 (3,600 sq. ft.) accessory structure across the town road on the same parcel; conditions include no habitable area, no commercial use, structure not to exceed 3,600 sq. ft. and less than 18 feet in height. Motion by Marshall Savitsky; second by Gary Heinen; roll call recorded yes votes.

- CUP 25‑018 (Bug Tussle / Kellberg site, Town of Meadowbrook): Approved. Request for a 250‑foot self‑support telecommunications tower (Bug Tussle Wireless). Staff noted the applicant provided a fall‑zone engineering letter (100‑foot fall zone) and the committee set conditions including a recorded survey showing fall zone setbacks, a $30,000 bond and compliance with town, county, state and federal requirements. Motion by Marshall Savitsky; second by Dale Magnuson; roll call recorded yes votes.

- CUP renewals (non‑metallic mineral extraction operations): Multiple five‑year renewals were approved, generally with staff‑recommended conditions (compliance with NR 135/NR 30 where applicable, plan of operation, hours of operation and financial assurance). Notable actions included: • CUP 25‑007 (Earthly Materials Pit, Walczak) — Renewal approved; applicant agreed to remove crushing and asphalt plant operations from the plan of operation; motion and roll call recorded yes votes. Financial assurance ($12,000 bond) reported active. • CUP 25‑008 (Payne Pit, DNR/Flambeau River State Forest) — Renewal approved; DNR reported minimal anticipated crushing and is exempt from financial assurance; staff conditions read into record. • CUP 25‑009 (Price Creek Pit, DNR) — Renewal approved with staff conditions (hours and crushing windows May–Nov, etc.). • CUP 25‑010 (Cedar Rapids Pit, DNR) — Renewal approved per staff conditions. • CUP 25‑020 (Seeley Fire Lane Pits / Sawyer County Forest Crop) — Renewal approved per staff conditions. • CUP 25‑021 (Hiatus Pit) — Renewal approved per staff conditions. • CUP 25‑022 (County Highway B Pit) — Renewal approved per staff conditions. • CUP 25‑023 (Schweitzer Pits) — Renewal approved per staff conditions; committee added a requirement to obtain town approval as part of the record.

Procedure and next steps

The committee’s actions mostly follow staff recommendations and town endorsements; most approvals were conditioned on compliance with state NR rules, the county plan of operation and the requirement to maintain or renew financial assurance (bonds) where applicable. For the burial plot item, staff were directed to study other counties’ approaches and prepare draft ordinance language clarifying whether and how family/home burial sites should be handled by Sawyer County.

Full motions, roll calls and staff‑report conditions are in the official meeting minutes and the county’s zoning file for each agenda item.