Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Annexation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Planning commission approves annexation of about 48.41 acres near Country View Road after brief debate over water service
Summary
The Verona Planning Commission voted to recommend annexation of roughly 48.4115 acres near Country View Road on Feb. 3, 2025. Staff recommended approval; the Wisconsin Department of Administration will review the petition. Public comment raised concerns about contaminated private wells and whether city water service should require annexation.
The Verona Planning Commission voted Feb. 3 to recommend annexing approximately 48.4115 acres in the vicinity of Country View Road, a motion that passed with one abstention and will next go to the Wisconsin Department of Administration for review before the City Council considers final approval.
Staff presented the application and recommended approval, saying the parcels would be zoned rural agricultural on annexation and existing uses would be allowed to continue. Mr. Robertson, the staff presenter, told commissioners the Wisconsin Department of Administration (DOA) is reviewing the petition and that, if the DOA approves, the commission’s recommendation would go to the common council for final action.
The matter drew public comment from Mark Geller, who identified himself as Town Chair of the Town of Verona and as a resident of 2681 Country View Road. Geller said he was not formally opposing annexation but asked the commission to consider context: several Country View Road residents have experienced contaminated private wells, which he called coliform bacteria contamination that renders well water undrinkable. Geller said the applicant, identified in the packet as EPIC, has offered to supply city water to Country View residents “at no cost to the city” and has assisted residents with new wells and filtration systems, but that those measures have not fully solved the problem.
Commissioners asked whether water service is part of the annexation decision. Alder Posey asked whether the water question is separate from the annexation; staff replied the two issues are procedurally distinct and that water-service policy would be a matter for the common council to weigh, not a threshold legal requirement for deciding the annexation petition. Commissioners also raised the creation of an island of municipal territory; staff said state statute allows islands where there is a boundary agreement between the city and town and that a city–town boundary agreement applies in this case.
Commissioner Touche moved to approve the annexation of approximately 48.4115 acres in the vicinity of Country View Road with the conditions specified in the packet; Alder Posey seconded. The motion passed; Commissioner Powers recorded an abstention.
Votes at a glance - Approval of minutes, Jan. 6, 2025: Motion by Commissioner Powers; second by Commissioner Wood; approved (vote recorded as all in favor). - Annexation of ~48.4115 acres near Country View Road: Motion by Commissioner Touche; second by Alder Posey; outcome approved, tally recorded as yes 6, abstain 1 (Commissioner Powers). - Adjournment: Motion by Commissioner Touche; second by Commissioner Harrison; approved (all in favor).
Next steps and context The DOA’s review remains pending; if the DOA approves the petition and the city council adopts the recommendation, the parcels will be annexed and zoned rural agricultural, allowing existing uses to continue. The public comment record and staff responses show the water-service question is being treated as a separate policy issue for council consideration rather than a reason to deny the annexation petition.
Ending The planning commission closed the item after the vote and moved on to a separate planning department report. The annexation will not take effect without subsequent DOA review and final action by the Verona Common Council.
