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Adams County committee advances 10‑year land and water plan to county board over objections
Summary
The Adams County Conservation Committee voted to forward a 10‑year Land and Water plan to the county board after hearing that the state Land and Water Conservation Board had approved it 10‑0. One supervisor argued the plan should be shortened to 1–5 years; staff and the chair said a 10‑year plan is required for funding.
The Adams County Conservation Committee voted to forward a 10‑year Land and Water plan to the county board after the state Land and Water Conservation Board approved the plan unanimously, 10–0.
Colton, a Land and Water staff member who presented the plan to the state board, told the committee the state board praised Adams County’s recent progress on farmland preservation and nutrient management and approved the county plan after a question‑and‑answer session. “It was a unanimous vote, 10 out of 10, and they approved the overall plan,” Colton said.
Chair opened the committee for questions and then moved the resolution to approve and forward the plan to the county board; Supervisor Gubarski made the motion and Supervisor Cherco seconded. Supervisor Posdowski objected and moved to amend the resolution to shorten the planning horizon to a one‑ to five‑year plan, saying a 10‑year horizon “may be construed by citizens or just in general as irresponsible or even unrealistic.”
Colton and other members said the 10‑year horizon is a statutory requirement for county land and water departments and that plans undergo a five‑year review. Colton cited Wisconsin Statute 92.1 and Wisconsin Administrative Code 50.12 as the relevant authorities and said annual work plans are required to retain funding eligibility. The chair said a 10‑year plan is necessary to access state funding and noted that the plan will be reviewed again in five years.
After discussion, the committee voted to forward the resolution to the county board; Supervisor Posdowski registered the only recorded 'nay' during the roll call. The resolution will next be considered by the full county board; no county board action was recorded in this meeting.
Why it matters: The 10‑year plan is a prerequisite for certain state conservation funding. County staff said having the plan approved at the state level improves Adams County’s ability to secure cost‑share dollars for practices such as nutrient management, riparian buffers and barnyard runoff controls.
What’s next: The resolution moves to the county board for final consideration. Staff said the plan will also be subject to the program’s required five‑year review cycle and to annual work‑plan submissions for funding eligibility.
