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Vernon County planning commission delays setting acreage trigger for subdivision review after parcel-split review
Summary
The Vernon County Planning Commission reviewed five years of parcel-split data showing declines across size categories and agreed on Feb. 11, 2026, to defer a decision on the minimum acreage that triggers subdivision/land-division review while staff capacity is considered.
The Vernon County Planning Commission met Feb. 11, 2026, in the Vernon County Board Room and voted to postpone deciding the minimum acreage that will trigger compliance with a proposed subdivision/land-division ordinance while staff capacity concerns are evaluated. Chair Charlie Jacobson led the session, which also included a presentation of five years of parcel-split data.
Monique Hassman presented county data showing decreases in parcel splits since 2020 across all measured size bands: under 5 acres fell from 104 to 60; 10-acre splits from 45 to 32; 15-acre splits from 28 to 20; 20-acre splits from 38 to 19; and splits over 20 acres from 100 to 61. Hassman framed the data as evidence that the county should balance the regulatory goals of a subdivision ordinance with realistic staff capacity to implement and enforce new rules.
Commissioners continued editing the definitions in a draft ordinance guiding subdivision and land-division review. Chair Charlie Jacobson said the commission would wait until the March meeting to set the minimum acreage that would trigger compliance; members reported a tentative consensus favoring either a 10- or 15-acre threshold but emphasized that staff workload and enforcement capacity should inform the final choice.
The commission also handled routine business: Supervisor Sandy Schweiger moved, and Odessa Hemmersbach seconded, to approve the Jan. 7 minutes; the motion carried with all voting in favor. The commission set its next meeting for March 11 at 2:00 p.m. and adjourned at 3:48 p.m. after a motion to adjourn by Supervisor Schweiger, seconded by Ben Caldwell, carried unanimously.
Next steps on the ordinance include continued review of defined terms and a formal decision on the acreage threshold at the March meeting. The commission also raised a procedural question about whether a county subdivision ordinance is mandatory or optional for towns; that question was left for future clarification.
