Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Conservation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Staff reports: NR151 parcel checks, LiDAR land-information tool, nonmetallic-mining financial assurance and farmland-preservation update
Summary
Staff updated the committee on DNR-led NR151 parcel checks, nonmetallic-mining financial-assurance review, training on LiDAR conversion to usable land information and an upcoming update to the county farmland-preservation plan. The county will coordinate parcel sampling with the DNR and consider ordinance updates to floodplain and sanitary rules.
County staff reported on several programs and planning efforts during the Nov. 1 meeting:
- NR151 parcel selection and checks: The Department of Natural Resources will select parcels statewide for compliance checks under NR 151 (ag performance standards). County staff will assist with field visits; staff recommended selecting an ample number of parcels to allow for refusals and access issues.
- Nonmetallic-mining financial assurance: Staff raised the need to review the county’s financial-assurance calculations for nonmetallic mines (how reclamation costs are estimated and what bonding or financial assurances are required), and said counterparts in other counties are updating methods.
- LiDAR and land-information tools: Staff completed training on converting LiDAR data for county use; the new online LiDAR/land-information viewer is being tested and the committee will decide when to make it public after working through bugs and access permissions.
- Farmland-preservation plan update: Staff said the county will update the Farmland Preservation Plan next year and coordinate with Southwest Regional Planning; staff will make the plan and related maps more accessible online.
- Sanitary and septic activity: Staff reported elevated end-of-year sanitary activity, including inspections and installations; the committee discussed a backlog of septic pumping and the difficulty of pumping late in the year due to freezing and bacterial activity.
Why it matters: These program updates drive compliance and recordkeeping the county uses for nutrient-management oversight, land-conservation priorities and permitting decisions.
No formal committee action was taken beyond acceptance of staff reports; staff will return with additional documentation and proposed ordinance updates where needed.
