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Resident proposes county economic development committee; supervisors ask about housing and nuclear site reuse
Summary
Resident August Neverman proposed creating a Kewaunee County Economic Development Committee to coordinate government actions on grants, ordinances and redevelopment, including the Kewaunee Nuclear site. Supervisors asked about affordable housing, how the committee would differ from KCEDC and options for redeveloping the nuclear site.
August Neverman, a Kewaunee County resident, proposed that the county create an Economic Development Committee to coordinate local governments, pursue grants and review ordinance changes to support business retention and redevelopment, including possible reuse of the Kewaunee Nuclear site.
Neverman said the committee would be a government forum to pursue activities KCEDC (the county’s private-sector economic development organization) cannot do, such as applying for certain government grants, drafting standard ordinance changes and lobbying elected officials on issues that need government action.
Neverman proposed committee membership of three county board members, up to 14 representatives from towns/villages/cities (participation optional because of home rule), one KCEDC representative and up to three public members. He gave examples of possible work: coordinating broadband permitting and mapping, standardizing zoning or setbacks to encourage smaller, more affordable homes, and helping assemble intergovernmental applications to increase grant competitiveness.
Board members pressed for specifics. Supervisor Swaggle asked whether the committee could address “affordable housing for a young couple,” suggesting changes such as smaller setback rules; Neverman said the committee could discuss ordinance changes that towns or villages could then adopt. Supervisor Gillette asked how the proposed committee would differ from KCEDC; Neverman said KCEDC focuses on private-sector development and financing, while a county committee could apply for government-only grants, pass supportive resolutions and coordinate ordinance or zoning discussions that KCEDC cannot legally perform.
On the Kewaunee Nuclear site, Neverman said the committee could help coordinate lobbying and intergovernmental work needed for redevelopment. He disclosed an affiliation with KCEDC but said he was not speaking on its behalf. Neverman described three redevelopment pathways the county might pursue or support: a full rebuild, a conversion using small modular reactors (SMRs) — noting an MOU Energy Solutions recently signed with an SMR company — or a mixed approach combining power generation and data-center development. He said data-center firms and major cloud providers have strong interest in locating near power sources because of high energy needs.
Neverman emphasized the proposal was flexible and illustrative; he stressed counties of comparable size often adopt varying committee structures and that the proposed membership and duties could be changed by the county board. The board did not take formal action on the proposal during the meeting.
The proposal and supervisors’ questions left open next steps: the board could choose to draft an ordinance or resolution to create a committee, request more information from staff, or take no action. No formal vote or directive was recorded on the proposal at the meeting.
