Speaker 4, a community development staff presenter, told the St. Croix County Community Development Committee on Jan. 8 that the proposed package of zoning changes is in a "very preliminary stage" and that staff have not yet filed the petition to amend the ordinances. The draft bundles several changes — incorporating Chapter 14 (nonmetallic‑mining overlay) into Chapter 15, updating Chapter 17 Riverway definitions to match state code, and revising use tables and performance standards — and reflects requests from the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) and the DNR.

Why it matters: staff said the revisions are intended to make the county ordinance consistent with state requirements and to add clearer citations and performance standards for uses such as nonmetallic mining, water supply, and shoreland protections. Speaker 4 summarized the DATCP request that certain farmland‑preservation districts (Ag‑1 and Ag‑2) include statutory citations and suggested changes staff will bundle before filing.

Burial plots: CUP or land‑use permit? Speaker 4 said DATCP asked that private burial plots be identified and treated as conditional uses in Ag‑1 and Ag‑2 zoning. He explained the statutory process for private burial plots and the paperwork that follows a first interment: "when you actually do bury somebody on that site, then you need to take and file what's called a notice of location of burial with the Wisconsin Historical Society, and then they record a notice of burial on the deed of the property," which removes the mapped area from the tax roll. Committee members cautioned that many family burial plots are informal and asked whether a land‑use permit (faster, staff‑level review) could be acceptable; Speaker 4 said staff would take the committee's preference back to DATCP and seek flexibility.

Slaughterhouses and scale: Staff raised concerns about recent on‑site slaughtering, including some Amish operations, and proposed removing a separate "private slaughterhouse" category so that slaughter for human consumption and sale would be allowed only in commercial or industrial districts. Committee members pressed public‑health and inspection issues, and discussed possible numeric thresholds or tying regulation to whether a facility is licensed and inspected by DATCP. Speaker 4 said he will modify the slaughterhouse definition and remove the private‑slaughterhouse category so that larger operations are regulated as commercial or industrial uses.

Home occupations: the committee debated a one‑per‑residence limit. The draft text in 15.345 would allow "only one minor or major home occupation per residence regardless of how many parcels the owner owns," according to Speaker 4. He said the intention is to prevent multiple, materially different businesses from operating across closely held parcels under one owner. Members disagreed about preserving separate "minor" and "major" categories and about enforcement: minor home occupations were described by staff as activities within the dwelling, with no employees and not exceeding 50% of floor area; majors may have employees and accessory‑building use. Several supervisors asked staff to consult corporate counsel to align definitions with state statutory definitions before filing.

Nonmetallic mining and temporary operations: staff confirmed temporary nonmetallic mining could be authorized by land‑use permit in R‑1 and R‑2 for borrow purposes, with the draft setting a limit of up to 20,000 cubic yards and a maximum duration of two years to allow on‑site or nearby material to be used for road or development work.

Stormwater and impervious surface standards: Speaker 4 described a substantive technical change to drainage standards, proposing mitigation for any new impervious surface over 100 square feet and design to control a 25‑year (4.7‑inch) rainfall event rather than the smaller previous design standard. Staff said the approach is intended to be achievable for most property owners through common mitigation measures (rain gardens, French drains, infiltration pits) while reducing runoff to the St. Croix River.

Process and next steps: Speaker 4 said staff will consult corporate counsel on minor/major home‑occupation definitions, incorporate the DATCP and DNR requested edits, and file petitions to amend Chapters 15, 17 and 21 and to incorporate Chapter 14 into Chapter 15. The petition filing is planned so the packages can be published for public hearing (staff mentioned a February public hearing) and the draft will be returned to the committee for review. The next committee meeting is scheduled for Jan. 15, 2026.

What the committee did not do: No formal vote was recorded; the meeting produced direction to staff to refine language, consult counsel, and proceed with petition filing and public‑hearing scheduling. Public‑health safeguards, enforcement practicality, and alignment with state code were raised repeatedly and flagged as items staff will clarify before public notice.