Environmental Services representative defends shoreland draft and warns Jarco proposal would remove enforcement provisions

During the committee‑of‑the‑whole discussion, an Environmental Services Committee representative reviewed the county’s current shoreland ordinance (in force since 2016), compared permit and appeal statistics and criticized a petitioned ordinance prepared by Mr. Jarco for omitting required administrative and enforcement provisions.

The ESC representative said land‑use permit totals rose slightly (reported as 1,959 permits from May 2022–April 2024 versus 2,033 from May 2024–April 2026) and that appeal counts did not show an upward trend. The representative said the Jarco petition listed only 10 of 14 items found in the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) model and specifically removes provisions on proper notice, official mapping, conditional‑use and variance procedures and other administrative safeguards.

Corporation counsel and other supervisors described legal and practical issues with embedding general zoning districts inside a shoreland ordinance. Counsel cited Wisconsin statutory and administrative standards (transcript references to state law and NR 115) and recommended moving general zoning provisions into the county’s general zoning ordinance while using the DNR model to ensure water protection. Supporters of the ESC draft said the committee had added definitions and updates in response to local business feedback and urged the full board to back the committee’s work.

Multiple supervisors and town representatives warned that certain towns had retained counsel and might file suit if the county persisted with provisions they regard as overreaching; ESC members urged compromise that towns could support while preserving shoreland protections.