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Winnebago County debates replacing shoreland code with DNR template amid town readiness concerns
Summary
The Winnebago County Board of Supervisors considered an ordinance to revise Chapter 27 to mirror the DNR model shoreland ordinance. Town officials and residents urged local control; county leaders raised legal and timing concerns and sought more time for towns to prepare maps and receive an attorney general opinion.
Winnebago County Board of Supervisors members spent more than an hour debating a proposed revision to Chapter 27 of the county code that would adopt a Department of Natural Resources (DNR) model shoreland ordinance and remove references to county general zoning within shoreland areas.
The proposal would limit the county's shoreland regulations to measures expressly aimed at protecting water quality and aquatic habitat and would leave general zoning (rules about uses, lot coverage, building form) to the towns that choose to exercise that authority.
Why it matters: Supporters said the change implements state law and the DNR template and restores local control to towns that have already adopted general zoning. Opponents and some county officials warned the change could create gaps in local regulation if towns lack shoreland zoning maps or if legal questions about overlapping authority remain unresolved.
Public comment included multiple elected town officials and residents who urged the county to approve the ordinance. Holly Stevens,…
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