In this issue:

Threat Seen to Great Lakes Water Uses

Great Lakes Water Plan Raises Alarm

Fond du Lac City Manager Steve Nenonen recently alerted the Alliance staff to a pending amendment to the Great Lakes Charter that could result in restrictions on new and increased uses of water in the Great Lakes Basin, and a potential impact on economic development in Wisconsin.

The proposal would affect withdrawals of ground water and water from Great Lakes tributaries as well as water from the Great Lakes themselves.

According to the DNR, the new proposal

• would expand the scope of the Charter  to include any withdrawal of surface or groundwater regardless of the amount;
• the diversion threshold would be reduced from 5 million gallons per day to 1 million gallons per day; and
• diversions could only be approved if there were environmental benefit and the project would be to provide a public water supply.

"Some of the proposed changes would have far-reaching effects on use of water supplies by nearly 3 million Wisconsin residents and the state's businesses," the DNR says.

Public comments on the plan are being accepted until Feb. 28. Comments should be forwarded to the
Council of Great Lakes Governors by  fax to 312-407-0038, or by mail to:

Annex 2001 Comments
Council of Great Lakes Governors
35 East Wacker Drive
Suite 1850
Chicago, IL 60601

Nenonen is most concerned about the effect the plan could have on a power plant proposed for Fond du Lac. He has written the Council of Great Lakes Governors. To see his letter, click here. The plan (in Adobe Acrobat format) can be seen on the Council of Great Lakes Governors' web site at http://www.cglg.org/projects/water/Annex2001.pdf.

Ed to Counties: 'Let's Talk'

Ed Huck urged Wisconsin's largest counties Feb. 7 to cooperate with the municipalities within their borders to create a systematic approach to delivering services, as provided for by Wisconsin law, rather than continue the current system of selective service delivery and double whammy taxation.

Ed pointed to Sec. 59.03, Stats., which allows counties to provide water, sewer, streets, highway, fire, police, public health and other services in municipalities upon their request.  The law, which has been ignored for decades, provides for municipalities to contract with the county to receive and pay for those services.

In the event that every municipality in the county accepts the county's offer to provide services, the cost can be levied on the property tax.

"This is a very important issue, and I think the ultimate solution is to continue working together," Ed told the Wisconsin County Executives and Administrators Association. The law, he said, not only provides a way out of double-whammy taxation, it can help integrate land use, and pave the way for regional service delivery as advocated by the Kettl Commission.

"The Legislature is aware that there is redundancy in local government services, and that there is a price to pay for that," he said.

"Every county should get together with its municipalities and figure out how to work together," said Racine County Executive Jean Jacobson. "This isn't Bosnia, this is Wisconsin, and here we've got to do it better."

Brown County Executive Nancy Nussbaum said she believes the double whammy "pretty much evens itself out" when all county services are considered.

However, a study by UW Oshkosh economist Kevin McGee documented the phenomenon across broad categories of services.  McGee found that the typical Wisconsin county spends $150 to $350 more annually on services to a rural household than on services to an urban household. McGee said that contributes to sprawl. To see a copy of his study, click here.

"This issue is a tremendously big issue for my organization," Ed said. "I'll be lobbying double whammy until I retire or until it's resolved."

The City of Racine and the town of Caledonia announced Feb. 9 that they have only to dot the "i's" and cross the "t's" on a plan to establish a revenue sharing system as part of an agreement to renovate the city's wastewater treatment plant and lift a sewer-extension  moratorium in Caledonia. The agreement is aimed not only at contributing toward the cost of sewer service, but also at amenities that Caledonia residents enjoy at Racine's expense, like the library, zoo, museum and transit.

Racine's City Council voted 15-0 Feb. 6 to:

• lift the current sewer-extension moratorium in communities that reach a cost-sharing agreement with Racine; and
• require annexation of any area that wants sanitary sewers in the absence of an agreement.

But Mount Pleasant and Sturtevant are still holding out against the agreement -- meaning that the moratorium on sewered development in their communities could remain in effect.

Racine wants to begin planning soon for the $90 million wastewater treatment plant improvement, and set the wheels in motion to qualify for low-interest loans.

"We can't just sit back," Mayor Jim Smith told The Journal Times. "The train is leaving the station and we need to know who's on board. We know Caledonia is on board."

"We have to compete with communities across the nation, and with other countries," said Caledonia town chair Dennis Kornwolf. "We sure can't do it while we're at war."

To see The Journal Times'  Feb. 10 story, click here.

Another Reminder: Stormwater/Smart Growth Conference Feb. 27-28

Speaking of solutions to regional problems, there's still time to register for the Feb. 27-28 conference sponsored by Fox-Wolf Basin 2000 in Green Bay to discuss ideas about how communities can integrate planning under the new smart growth law with the stormwater management mandate looming on the horizon. But you should complete your registration today to get an earlybird discount!

"Getting it Together with Stormwater ...Tools, Rules & Smart Growth" is at the Radisson Inn, Green Bay.

Information on the conference is available at http://www.fwb2k.org/stormwater/stormwater.htm and an on-line registration form is available at http://www.fwb2k.org/stormwater/regmain.htm.

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Bills to limit the liability of communities for bad streets and roads, reform public employee bonding requirements and allow municipal courts to once again suspend juveniles' drivers licenses for non-traffic offenses cleared the Wisconsin Assembly Feb. 13.

The bills were:

• AB 5, the drivers license bill.

• AB 6, to extend immunity to cities, villages, towns and counties for  liability when a road in disrepair causes damage, and eliminate secondary immunity

• AB 35, which allows cities (except Milwaukee), towns, villages and counties to provide a schedule or blanket bond for its officers and officials who must be bonded.

(To see the bill history, click highlighted text above. To see the text, click on the highlighted bill number on the page that appears in a new window on your screen.)

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Ed and Gail Lobby Alliance Issues

It isn't just the Alliance proactive agenda that has been occupying Ed and Gail's time. They continue to fight proposals for new property tax exemptions, and have begun to lobby against a new residency bill, AB 113, which has been introduced but isn't yet on the Internet.

We'll update you on their visits next time.

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Upcoming Events
(Click on underlined text for more)        
           
            Feb. 15                           Assly calendar, AB 37, mass transit assistance
            Feb. 16                           Alliance Finance Directors, Fond du Lac.
            Feb. 20                           Hearing, Comm. 61-66, fire protection
            Feb. 22                           Hearing, low-speed vehicles, AB 58
            Feb. 22-23                      Gov Scott McCallum, Alliance Mtg., Neenah.
            Feb. 26                           David Rusk speaks to ICC
            Feb. 27-28                      Stormwater / Smart Growth conf., Green Bay
            Feb. 28                           Hearing, tradl neighborhood ordinance
            Mar.  1                            Fair Share Coalition

Alliance Web Site Features

 

(up and running)

(up and running)

(coming eventually)

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THE WISCONSIN ALLIANCE OF CITIES
14 West Mifflin Street Suite 206
Madison, Wisconsin 53703
(608) 257-5881