Ashland County planning committee begins comprehensive plan update; approves agenda and minutes

ASHLAND COUNTY, Wis. Aug. 27, 2025 The Ashland County Planning Committee on Wednesday began the statutory process to update the countycomprehensive plan, hearing a presentation from Northwest Regional Planning on the scope, legal requirements and timeline for a roughly 12-month effort that will include an online community survey, subcommittee reviews of draft chapters via SharePoint and a public comment period required by state law.

The presentation was made by Emily Nelson, community development specialist with Northwest Regional Planning, who told the committee that "the plan has to be updated at least once every 10 years" under state law and described the plan as a 20-year guide to the county's physical, social and economic development.

Why it matters: An updated comprehensive plan shapes future land-use ordinances, zoning decisions and county investments. Nelson and Northwest Regional Planning staff said the update will produce a background report with updated data, revised maps, a vision and implementation chapter with measurable actions, and a public participation program that must include a 30-day comment period and a public hearing before the county board adopts the ordinance.

Most important details

- Scope and legal steps: Nelson reviewed Wisconsin Statute 66.1001 and told the committee the minimum procedural components are a public participation plan, a public hearing and a county board ordinance adopting the updated plan. The Wisconsin Department of Administration receives record copies of adopted plans; the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) administers the farmland preservation component.

- Timeline and deliverables: Northwest Regional Planning proposed a roughly 12-month schedule. Staff aim for a preliminary draft plan by August 2026, a committee resolution in October 2026 to begin the required 30-day public comment period, and county board adoption of an updated ordinance no later than January 2027.

- Public survey and outreach: The consultant recommended using ArcGIS Survey123 for an online community survey and offered to assist with question development, deployment and analysis. Committee members cautioned that countywide broadband gaps could skew online responses toward urban respondents. Members suggested supplementing online outreach with printed surveys, town-hall distribution through town clerks and library or town-hall access points to reach residents with limited internet.

- Draft review process: Northwest Regional Planning will prepare updated background chapters and maps; subcommittees will review drafts in a closed SharePoint environment before a public posting. Committee chairs were asked to gather local subject-matter input and stakeholder contacts for each of the plan's subtopics.

Committee discussion and concerns

Committee members raised several substantive issues they want the update to address or clarify: the local impact of the recent Northland College closure on population projections and workforce estimates; gaps in mapping of land application permits (spreading) for septage and biosolids and the county's limited access to precise locations; broadband access and representativeness of an online survey; and recreation and tourism assets such as campgrounds and trails.

Pat Kinney, a planning committee member, pressed for clearer public access to historical spreading permit data, saying, "We can't get that information is our understanding at this point." Committee members discussed whether permit records could be obtained through public records requests and noted state confidentiality and permitting practices as constraints.

Charlie Ortman, a committee member, proposed adding or amplifying policy language about residents' quality of life. "I liked when we talked ... to improve everyone's quality of life," Ortman said, arguing that community health and sustainability topics should be built into the update.

Northwest Regional Planning staff also noted technical steps: GIS specialists will update resource and existing land-use maps and prepare a future land-use map at the county scale. The consultant said some underlying map data (for example soils layers) will not change but will be reprocessed with current GIS technology.

Decisions, directions and next steps

- The committee indicated its intent to proceed with an online community survey; consultants will email a draft set of survey questions to committee members and requested finalization of questions at the September meeting.

- Northwest Regional Planning will post subcommittee draft chapters to an Ashland County SharePoint folder for internal review; committee chairs will collect local inputs and coordinate stakeholder outreach.

- Staff will prepare the background report, updated forecasts, maps and a draft vision/implementation chapter for subcommittee review beginning in the fall; the consultant's target dates are preliminary draft by Aug. 2026 and county board adoption by Jan. 2027.

Votes at a glance

- Motion to approve the meeting agenda: moved by Charlie Ortman; seconded by Paul Wilharm; outcome: approved by voice vote.

- Motion to approve minutes of the July 21 meeting: moved by Charlie Ortman; seconded by Paul Wilharm; outcome: approved by voice vote.

- Motion to adjourn: moved by Charlie Ortman; seconded by Paul Wilharm; outcome: approved by voice vote.

What to watch for

Committee members will receive the consultant's draft survey questions by email and were asked to provide edits before the September meeting, when members aim to finalize the survey instrument and discuss deployment logistics. Subcommittees should expect draft chapters to appear on SharePoint in September for internal review before public posting.

Meeting context and participation

The discussion lasted roughly two hours and included the full planning committee membership present for a quorum and two Northwest Regional Planning staff. Committee members repeatedly emphasized the need for inclusive outreach beyond online formats and for the update to reflect local concerns about environmental contamination, recreation and economic development.

Ending note

Committee members closed the meeting after brief procedural votes. Emily Nelson and Autumn Tomi of Northwest Regional Planning will return with draft survey materials and initial chapter updates; the committee set a goal of finishing technical drafts in 2026 to meet the statutory update cycle.