Sawyer County board asks state to give local governments authority to condition and reauthorize lake districts

A majority of the Sawyer County Board of Supervisors voted Thursday to ask the Wisconsin Legislature to amend state law so counties and towns may place conditions on the creation and continued existence of lake districts.

The resolution, approved after more than two hours of public comment about a petition to form the Callahan and Mud Lake District, asks lawmakers to let approving bodies limit how long a district can exist, require reauthorization, and allow local monitoring of a district’s work.

The petition to form the Callahan and Mud Lake District drew many speakers to the county board podium. Supporters said the district is needed to preserve the lake and maintain the dam; opponents warned about new taxes and governance powers that district boards could exercise without local oversight.

“An approved Lake District will have the authority to raise taxes for district members by more than 30%, limit the use of recreational boats and snowmobiles, place special tax assessments as well as other powers,” said Rhonda Isild, who identified herself as a property owner. “A Lake District is not required to report to any government body and that's a pretty scary proposition.”

Other speakers disputed some opponents’ claims and described the petition process and voter support. Holly Robbins, who said she spoke on behalf of petition signers, told the board petitioners had achieved “62%, a clear and broad majority of the citizens of the area that have asked for the Lake District.” She also said the town of Round Lake and the county would each have a permanent voting seat on the proposed district board.

Board members said the resolution is aimed at clarifying the law for future petitions and not at deciding the Callahan and Mud Lake petition itself. The resolution asks the Legislature to amend chapter 33 of the Wisconsin Statutes (public inland lake protection and rehabilitation districts) to allow town and county boards to add conditions to approvals, require reauthorization, and monitor districts’ performance.

County Administrator Andy Alvarado explained the resolution grew out of questions that arose during consideration of the Callahan and Mud Lake petition and added the change could be years away if the Legislature acts. “This is more about providing feedback that during the process of reviewing Callahan and Mud Lake, there’s some questions that came up,” Alvarado said.

The board’s action was procedural: supervisors voted to adopt the resolution and direct distribution to state legislators and to neighboring counties. A formal vote count was recorded on the floor as the motion carried; the transcript records the motion, a second and the board’s affirmative vote but does not list a roll-call tally in the audio record.

The resolution text cites the statutory formation process, noting petition requirements, the public hearing timetable and the authority granted to lake districts once formed. It asks that counties and towns be given explicit authority to: (1) attach conditions to approvals (for example, a sunset clause), (2) require periodic reauthorization, and (3) monitor whether the district’s stated public-health, convenience or welfare objectives are being met.

Speakers on both sides urged the board to consider property boundaries, inclusion of non-riparian landowners and the financial impact of assessments and operations. Several speakers requested that properties explicitly removed from a proposed district be honored if owners had filed for exclusion.

The board directed that the resolution be sent to state legislators, to surrounding counties and to the Wisconsin Counties Association.

The county will hear further consideration of the Callahan and Mud Lake petition in committee before any final county action on the petition itself, county officials said.