Waupaca County board adopts map and zoning changes, approves grants and donations, and honors retiring supervisors

The Waupaca County Board of Supervisors on March 15, 2022 adopted a package of resolutions and ordinances that amended the county comprehensive plan and zoning maps, authorized grant applications and donations, and formally commended multiple retiring supervisors.

The board adopted Resolution No. 47 to amend the county Comprehensive Plan Map to reflect two township-initiated changes: in the Town of Larrabee a parcel was reclassified from commercial to agriculture (about 8.8 acres) to allow a lot combination, and in the Town of Mukwa a parcel was reclassified from residential and agriculture to industrial (about 5.8569 acres). The Planning and Zoning Committee and the originating towns endorsed the amendments after public hearings.

The board also approved Resolution No. 48, authorizing Waupaca County to apply for a Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources cost-share grant to install an accessible canoe and kayak launch at Gill’s Landing Park and empowering the Parks and Solid Waste Director to execute grant agreements and required reports.

On donations, the board adopted Resolution No. 57 to accept $1,000 from Fletcher’s Jewelry, Inc. and $2,000 from Farmer Gene’s Campground to support the Waupaca County Sheriff’s Office K9 unit; those funds will be placed in a restricted donation account.

Resolutions adjusting county business included No. 60, which amended 2021 Transportation Services Fund revenue and transferred $584,195 in county sales-and-use tax to the Transportation Services Fund to pay for highway construction projects, and No. 61, which authorized release of a 1.5-acre exclusion area from a Purchase of Agricultural Conservation Easement (Sandy Valley Farms, Document #802451) as requested by the grantor.

The board approved four zoning petitions recommended by the Planning & Zoning Committee and the affected towns: Z-001-22 (Town of Larrabee, AR→AWT, ~0.9 acres); Z-002-22 (Town of Larrabee, AWT→AR, ~8.8 acres); Z-003-22 (Town of Bear Creek, AE→CV, ~45.61 acres); and Z-004-22 (Town of Mukwa, AWT→RI‑I, ~2 acres). Each petition was adopted following committee public hearings and town approvals.

The board also amended Chapter 7.04 of the county code to set a 45 mph speed limit on County Trunk Highway J for approximately 1.1 miles beginning at the Village of Iola’s northern limits; the ordinance becomes effective upon erection of standard signage. In addition, the board adopted a resolution designating April 11–15, 2022 as Work Zone Safety Awareness Week in the county.

The meeting included a series of formal commendations honoring a slate of supervisors who chose not to seek re-election, including Patricia Craig (Dist. 18), Joyce Boyer (Dist. 11), Mary Kay Poehlman (Dist. 12), Mary Craig (Dist. 27), Dennis Kussmann (Dist. 2), Terry Murphy (Dist. 7), Robert Ellis (Dist. 15), and Bernie Ritchie (Dist. 26). The board passed each commendation by recorded motion, with abstentions noted where recorded on the floor.

Information items included an Information Technology Office update by Brent Wyland and a county-website review by Jeff Simons, and a Treasurer/GIS briefing by Mark Sether, Jason McKeefry and Jon Galloy outlining tax-collection updates and GIS resources on the county website.

The meeting adjourned at 11:25 a.m.