highest value of any Wisconsin county. The county led the state in 1997 in corn production and was third in soybean production. Dane County’s almost 3,000 farms was second in Wisconsin. In 1995, Dane County was fifth in the nation in milk production.

Dane County agriculture is diverse, with some of the best farm land in the world. Dairy farming and other livestock agriculture continue to be important, generating over 80% of agricultural income; but cash grain, vegetable crops, tobacco, fruit and flower production also exist. The significance of agriculture to the Dane County economy is most apparent when examining farm production together with value added agricultural processing. A 1996 study describes that impact as $431 million in wages and salary (5.6% of Dane County total), $936 million in value-added income (7.8%) and 18,900 jobs (6.3%). Strong and diverse farms combine with the University of Wisconsin-Madison to make Dane County especially attractive to bio-technology companies. ABS officials, for example, cite the proximity of farms as testing sites for product development and marketing as one of the key reasons they seek to expand their bio-technology business in the Town of Windsor. Of the 172 biotech companies in Wisconsin, 105 (61%) are located in Dane County.

A continued strong farming presence benefits Dane County in several ways: reduced cost of providing public services, significant contributions to local economy, preservation of open space and our strong farming heritage.

Numerous studies have shown that farm lands more than pay for the local services they receive, whereas new residential development typically fails to cover costs. Farms place less burden on local tax budgets. A recent Wisconsin-based study estimates that each farm contributes the economic equivalent of eight non-farm households to the local community. Farmers spend up to 90% of their income in their communities, compared to 40% for the general population.

Despite its apparently robust and diverse agricultural economy, Dane County continues to lose farmland. According to the RPC's Regional Trends report, since 1990 Dane County has lost 22,907 acres of farmland, an area slightly smaller than the townships of Vermont and Black Earth combined. In this decade, Dane County farmland has been converted to other non-agricultural uses at a rate of nearly 3,270 acres annually, an area about the size of Lake Monona. Of this amount, approximately 2,000 acres is rezoned out of the exclusive agricultural district each year. With Dane County's population expected to grow by over 21% by 2020, the trend of conversion of farmland to other uses could accelerate unless we act now.

The state's Farmland Preservation Program has stimulated local planning and zoning; it has promoted soil and water conservation through conservation compliance requirements; and it has targeted tax relief to small and medium-sized family farms. In areas with the greatest development pressure, however, the program has not been effective and has not preserved agricultural lands for the future. The program also involves a complex set of state, county and town requirements, without meaningful planning assistance or enforcement mechanisms.

In order to save farming and the unique contributions it makes to quality of life in Dane County, we need to keep the farmer. You can't have one without the other. Currently, many Dane County farmers face economic difficulties caused by volatile markets and an absurd federal dairy pricing system.

Preserving farmland and farming is a challenge that has perplexed many people in Dane County, Wisconsin, and the nation. There are major factors influencing the farming industry that reach far beyond what Dane County can do. Most experts recommend a combination of approaches.

Recognizing that no single tool can be effective by itself, Dane County should pursue several strategies to help Dane County farmers who want to continue farming to do so. In turn, the benefits to the Dane County community of maintaining a rural character and working farms will endure.

1. Establish a County-Wide Farmland Mitigation Program.

"What is new in farmer conversations is the issue of farmland turning into city folks’ high priced country estates." (Oncken, Capital Times, 4/16/98)

This program will require that whenever someone converts an acre of farmland , he or she will have to mitigate that loss by securing an acre of land in specified areas (Farm Priority Zones). This can be accomplished either by acquiring a long-term easement on farmland or by paying a fee to a mitigation fund. The program will help maintain critical masses of productive farming areas under long-term protection, allow farmers to realize some of the value of their land without having to divide it, and discourage development on farm lands.

2. Create Farm Priority Zones to Encourage Farmers to Continue Farming.

Dane County should establish Farm Priority Zones where farming operations are protected. The Farm Priority zones should be large enough to protect substantial tracts of agricultural land. These zones would also serve as the target areas for other benefits intended to help farm families, such as the voluntary sale of agricultural easements under the Farmland Mitigation Program, priority for county funding and technical assistance and buffer strips from other development. Establishment of these zones will reduce land use conflicts with agricultural activities and secure farmland. Residential development will be limited (except residences directly related to the farm). These Farm Priority Zones will be established in two ways: i) through an official designation in the zoning ordinance, which would provide the maximum protection to agricultural activities; and ii) by delineating suitable areas where the incentives and protections described would be provided if a threshold number of farmers voluntarily agreed to participate in the program.

3. Update and Revise the Dane County Farmland Preservation Plan.

This plan consists of two parts: a basic county framework document; and the town land use plans adopted as a part of the county's Farmland Preservation Plan.

The County framework was last updated in 1981. Many of the town plans have not been recently updated. The Dane County Farmland Preservation Plan should be revised to achieve the following:

A. Provide a single policy guide and implementation strategy for all farmland protection programs in the County, and consolidate town land use plan maps into a single document;

B. Set benchmarks for preserving farmland and establish an annual reporting mechanism to monitor progress;

Farmland Preservation Plan Town name Date of town Plan Last updated Roxbury 3/29/93   Deerfield 10/29/92 7/1/93 Windsor 7/1/93 3/23/98 Medina 1/1/91 2/1/94 Westport 1/20/92 12/1/95 Middleton 6/1/81   Albion 6/1/79 10/1/94 Oregon 7/12/94   Rutland 4/1/94   Springfield 1/7/92 4/1/95 Black Earth 3/23/98 3/23/98 Bristol 4/14/81   Mazomanie 1/11/93 3/23/98 Berry 4/13/81   Blooming Grove 6/16/92   Blue Mounds 6/1/80   Burke 9/28/81   Christiana 1/1/81   Cottage Grove 3/1/96 3//96 Cross Plains 5/19/81   Dane 6/1/81   Dunkirk 7/1/79   Dunn 2/1/87   Madison 1/1/78   Montrose 2/9/81   Perry 12/1/96   Pleasant Springs 4/1/93   Primrose 11/1/94   Springdale 3/17/81   Sun Prairie 10/9/80   Vermont 6/8/92   Verona 5/1/87   Vienna 1/1/80   York 8/1/80   Source: Dane County Planning and Development

C. Establish minimum standards needed for county approval of a town's plan and future amendments, standardize procedures for county action on town plans, and require periodic, comprehensive review of town plans with substantial public participation.

4. Provide Better Tools and Specialized Technical Assistance to Help Towns Preserve Farmland.

The Farmland Preservation Plan consists in part of local plans prepared by and adopted by the towns and approved by the county.

The towns have a big part in local development decisions, and their town residents care deeply about the future of their community. The County should improve our partnership with towns to help them grow and preserve their farmland. There is no single, simple way to reach these goals. Indeed, a variety of approaches may work best. What is clear is that thousands of acres of farmlands are diverted out of farming every year and that the continued application of the "35-acre rule" will result in more dispersed residential growth throughout the county. This scattered growth will further interfere with working farms and place additional demands for services on the local community. An analysis conducted in 1998 shows that the "35-acre rule" could produce between 250-350 additional residential lots in each rural Dane County township with Exclusive Ag zoning.

The "35-acre rule" is not perfect. In addition to allowing an unsustainable level of rural residential development, this rule has other problems. It misleads landowners into thinking that they have legally enforceable development rights. It demands a system of accurate and complicated record-keeping that will have to extend over decades and apply to future land transactions. The 35-acre standard erodes farming in Dane County as farmland is lost and residential development interferes with farming operations.

The Farmland Mitigation Program, the county's acquisition of agricultural easements, possible town Purchase of Development Rights (PDR) or Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) programs (described below) and the other farm assistance offered in this plan are intended to give farmers a means of realizing some of the value of their property while continuing to farm. These steps should help farm families maintain economic stability without having to sell their farmland, bit by bit.

Until we implement these action steps, it is extremely important for towns to continue to apply the "35-acre rule" and not allow rural residential development to exceed historic levels.

Dane County can also help provide towns with a variety of tools to use in their efforts to manage growth and preserve farmland. Some of these tools are short term improvements or adjustments to the current system; others are more long term and substantial.

Dane County and towns can work jointly to:

A. Provide more soils, maps, GIS data and related information to towns so as to prevent the conversion of prime agriculture lands for non-agriculture uses and the loss of valuable natural resources.

B. Establish a uniform system to record the use of the 1/35 splits and require that the restrictions run to the town and county and are recorded so that future landowners are informed.

C. Assist interested towns in implementing a local PDR Program or TDR Program as part of a local plan to reduce the total amount of scattered residential development in the town and protect farmland. The TDR program would allow the town to designate suitable receiving areas as part of a town plan and provide for the transfer of development credits to these receiving zones. Development credits would be calculated to not exceed what could be available under the 1/35 acre rule.

Although TDR programs have been frequently mentioned as a possible farmland preservation strategy in Dane County,

Approximately 1,570 acres were rezoned out of A-1 Ex in 1997; 1,983 in 1996. (Regional Trends, 1997)

extensive research has come up with more questions than answers. The market conditions in many places pursuing TDR programs are often quite different than those which exist in Dane County. Annexation laws and Wisconsin’s unique system of local land use regulation also make county-wide application of TDRs more problematic. For those reasons, we did not include TDRs in the county-wide approaches set out in this plan. Intra-town TDR programs have potential and we will assist towns which want to pursue a TDR program.

D. Work with towns to improve their local implementation tools, such as subdivision ordinances.

5. Enforce Tax Credit Penalties Under State Law for Land Rezoned Out of Exclusive Agricultural Zoning.

Although state law requires repayment of tax credits received for the past 10 years for land rezoned out of the exclusive agriculture

district, the state has rarely enforced this provision. Other states, Michigan for example, have used the collection of similar tax credit penalties to help fund agricultural protection programs. Dane County has the highest participation in the Farmland Preservation Program in the state with approximately 1,850 participants in 1997. Foregone tax credit penalties in Dane County could range anywhere from $25,000 to $200,000 annually. A possible means of implementing the state law would be for Dane County to require evidence of repayment of appropriate tax credits before rezones can become effective. As Dane County achieves compliance with the law’s penalty provisions, the state should return 50% of the monies collected from Dane County's enforcement efforts to help fund Dane County's Farmland Preservation programs.

6. Develop a Farm Marketing Program to Promote Dane County Agriculture and Help Farmers Improve Their Profitability.

The 18% of Dane County residents who live in towns occupy 55% of the County’s residential land. (Regional Trends, 1997)

With these programs, the county will:

A. Identify new markets for agriculture generally, including biotechnology, value-added processing and Community

Supported Agriculture (CSA) opportunities.

B. Develop cooperative marketing approaches to coordinate product delivery and provide other services.

C. Assist farmers to enter agricultural or conservation easement programs with public or private non-profit land trusts

(for example, CSA members working with a non-profit land trust could purchase agricultural easements in the CSAs’ farmers’ land, thus helping to ensure the continued presence of CSAs close to urban areas).

D. Work with the Dane County lawyers and financial advisors to help farmers access low cost estate planning services.

7. Implement a Farmers’ Environmental Savings Program. The program will identify cost-effective strategies for reducing

adverse environmental impacts (such as agricultural runoff), help farmers save money through better manure management and reduced fertilizer and pesticide input costs, and protect surface and groundwater quality. A pilot program conducted by the Dane County Land Conservation Department during the planning phase of the Lake Mendota Priority Watershed Program demonstrated that farmers who manage manure and fertilizer systematically and quantitatively will substantially reduce fertilizer costs.

8. Appoint a Dane County Agricultural Council to Advise the County

Executive and County Board on Agricultural Matters.

It is critically important for county policymakers to receive practical, current information and advice on how Dane County can best assist the wide variety of Dane County farmers.

 

Recommended State Action

The State should --

1. Provide a reasonably-priced health insurance option for farmers. Many farmers operate without health insurance

coverage or struggle to make high premium payments.

2. Provide grant monies and other assistance to help support the start up of the Dane County Farmland Mitigation/Farm Priority Zone Program, including authority to implement the program even when agricultural lands are annexed to a city or village.

Now is the time ... to determine how to balance the needs of a growing, vibrant community with the responsibility to maintain one of the crown jewels of Wisconsin agriculture. (UW-Madison: Agricultural Change and Urban Development: The Case of Dane County, 1994)

3. Revise the state's Farmland Preservation Plan to provide a funding mechanism for the long-term protection of farm land.

Madison represents about half the total county population; over 70% live in greater Madison. Even more of the county’s jobs are concentrated in the urban center. While about half the population is in Madison, about three-quarters of the county’s jobs are located in Madison.

The greater Madison area’s role as an economic, educational, cultural and services center is vital to the whole county. It is essential to all of Dane County that Madison remain a healthy, growing city.

Citizens favor policies that maintain our separate communities, and oppose growth that would have them grow into each other and lose their visual and cultural identities. Farmland, parks and other open space between villages and cities also provides environmental and recreational benefits that people value.

The cities and villages have always been essential to Dane County’s identity and prosperity. Mazomanie’s railroad facilities, for example, were absolutely critical to Dane County’s early development. The smaller cities and villages also provide unique cultural assets and civic events, part of the diversity the whole Dane County community enjoys. They are currently experiencing dynamic growth. In fact, one village has grown by 131% since 1990.

In the face of such growth, citizens also favor policies that focus new job growth and housing options in areas where public services, such as

roads and schools already exist. Citizens know that it costs a lot of money to build and maintain the facilities (such as roads, sewer, schools, fire stations, EMS, libraries, police stations, transit, and general government buildings) to serve new growth in a community. Perhaps the clearest indicator that new residential development requires new facilities is the number of controversial school referenda which have occurred throughout Dane County over the past four years. Dane County and its citizens already have a substantial financial investment in existing public facilities. Sensible growth is development that, to the maximum practical extent, utilizes that existing public investment. Sensible growth saves tax dollars, preserves lands, and protects our quality of life.

The antithesis of sensible growth, and a serious long-term threat to the character and financial stability of our cities and villages, large and small, is too rapid or too much growth on their edges. This sort of growth eventually demands the construction of necessary and expensive facilities such as roads and schools and the extension of expensive services such as fire, police, and emergency medical response.

What can the county do do support balanced communities throughout Dane County?

Each village and city in Dane County makes decisions about its own growth. The county does not directly make planning or zoning decisions in these incorporated areas. However, the county can be a strong partner with villages and cities to promote sensible, efficient growth. The county can provide technical support and planning assistance where municipalities would appreciate such help, and help coordinate goals and strategies that are most effective on a regional basis. The county can also target financial assistance to those cities, villages and private developers pursuing new types of development projects that promote sensible growth.

1. Create the $1 Million "Partners for Dane" Fund to Invest in Sensible Growth.

The county should help cities and villages which want to take advantage of re-development opportunities. With the BUILD Program, initiated in 1998, Dane County will actively assist communities in planning for such opportunities.

In order to help stimulate the market, Dane County should help finance selected re-development projects. Dane County should begin Partners for Dane, a low-interest, revolving loan fund. Up to $1 million would be available on a competitive basis for those projects (public or private) that best meet the goals of building strong, healthy cities and villages. Eligible projects could include, for example, re-development of obsolete facilities, brown fields restoration, downtown or neighborhood revitalization projects, and developments with a mix of housing and transportation options.

As loans are repaid, the capital becomes available for financing additional worthwhile projects. In addition, Dane County should encourage and work with the Dane County financial community to develop local financing strategies that encourage these sorts of projects.

2. Give Funding Priority for Public Facilities and Services that Encourage Sensible, Efficient Growth by:

A. Developing a set of budgeting criteria and procedures to give funding priority to public facilities that promote sensible, efficient growth goals (e.g., growth that is cost-effective; promotes an orderly and efficient use of land and public services; preserves the distinct character of our cities and villages and utilizes existing investment as much as possible.)

B. Giving funding preference to infill and revitalization projects and projects that increase the range of housing and transportation options for our citizens.

3. Work with Local Communities To Pursue Community Development Block Grant Monies and other Funds to Promote Sensible, Efficient Growth.

Dane County’s unemployment rate is ... one of the ten lowest out of the 276 metropolitan areas in the U.S. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics for February 1998) "We’re mad about job-rich Madison, Wis., this year’s No. 1 place." (Money Magazine, July 1996)

This is the first year Dane County is eligible to pursue CDBG (Community Development Block Grants) monies as an "urban county" separate from the City of Madison. The grants will not be deducted from the CDBG funds received by Madison. Approximately $1.5 million in federal funds could be available to the local cities, villages, and towns outside Madison under this cooperative program if Dane County obtains this grant. The goals of Community Development Block Grants are to sustain healthy communities, provide decent housing options, and expand business and job opportunities. The funds have many possible uses ranging from housing rehabilitation and first time home-buyers assistance, to help with community centers and city streets. No decisions have yet been made on how we should spend the money; the first step is to work with all participating local governments to decide on how to best use the funds to help our citizens. One criterion can be to promote sensible growth in local communities.

4. Offer Planning, Grant and Other Technical Assistance to Cities and Villages to Facilitate Sensible Growth. An example would be to assist a village analyze the long-term costs and benefits of a large proposed development project.

5. Request the Dane County Economic Summit Council to Review Economic Development Strategies for Dane County with the goal of promoting sensible growth. The Council would specifically address the following: a) whether a coordinated approach to economic development should be pursued in Dane County; and b) how to better align economic development goals and activities with development, housing, and transportation decisions that support sensible growth.

Dane County residents want to preserve our wonderful land and water resources. We enjoy the recreational opportunities our parks and trails,

rivers, streams and lakes give us. We need clean water to drink and clean air to breath. And, in our increasingly busy lives, we cherish the calming beauty of peaceful, scenic vistas and our open spaces, whether large or small.

Dane County citizens have long recognized the beauty of our steep wooded hillsides, the value of the timber in some of those woods, and the susceptibility of those slopes to erosion. Groundwater scientists have also discovered that these slopes can also function as important recharge areas for springs and streams.

Dane County has 37 fish-filled lakes, 475 miles of beautiful streams and rivers, and 14 miles of the spectacular Wisconsin River forming our northwest border. Use of these resources is increasing significantly as our population grows. For example, daily boat launches at county facilities on Dane County lakes have increased by 41% since we started keeping those records in 1983. This being Wisconsin, our recreational use does not stop when the cold and snow start. For example, Dane County currently has a county-wide, 300 mile system of snowmobile trails.

Dane County currently owns 5,411 acres of park land and open space, less than 1/10 of one percent of the county's total land area. Of this area, there are twenty county parks and eleven county resource areas

Dane County's population is projected to continue to grow rapidly -- it is conservatively estimated that an additional 72,000 people will live in Dane County in twenty years. In order to provide for the needs of citizens today and to protect our valuable resources for future generations, we must plan for growth that will not harm the health of our land and water resources.

We know that it is better and cheaper to take care of these important resources now than to try to clear them up or reclaim them later. We must develop strategies and take steps to ensure that future growth and development can occur in ways that preserve our valuable resources for the benefit of all Dane County residents.

Thanks to the efforts of the Parks Commission, the Dane County Board, and hundreds of interested citizens, we know what lands we need to protect. The Dane County Parks and Open Spaces Plan sets forth specific goals for acquiring certain types and amounts of land in project areas throughout Dane County.

We must act quickly. The rapid growth in Dane County is driving all land prices higher with no indication that these values are leveling off. This trend faces us with a difficult choice. Find additional funds to buy or protect more lands more quickly or miss those opportunities. If we choose the latter course, the lands will be developed or purchased later at much greater cost. Sometimes, one must invest to save. Dane County should invest now to save the lands essential to preserving our natural heritage.

We also know more about protecting our resources than we ever have. Scientists, many of whom work in Dane County for the University or Department of Natural Resources, have learned how runoff hurts our streams and lakes and have mapped the groundwater flows and recharge areas of Dane County. We need to use this knowledge as the basis for a new generation of stewardship for our natural resources. Our Parks Department’s exemplary volunteer program reminds us of how effective we can be at protecting and restoring our natural resources. Over the last decade, for example, two volunteers have restored the Walking Iron Park prairie so that it is now one of the healthiest prairies in the upper Midwest.

Despite the creation and expansion of the Conservation Fund and an extremely professional and successful acquisition effort over the past 8 years, Dane County currently owns fewer acres of park/open space lands per capita than, for example, similar Wisconsin counties such as Brown, Milwaukee and Waukesha. We should expand our open space funding sources through a variety of means involving the public and private sectors:

A. Propose a major countywide referendum to create a significant annual funding source for county, local government, and private

"Increase investment in permanent land protection through parks or natural areas." "Aggressively pursue purchase of significant environmental corridors." (Land Use Workshop Participants)

non-profit acquisition and management of natural resource lands, parks and trails over the next ten years. Currently, Dane County alone would have to spend about $4 million annually over the next 10 years to meet the objectives of the Parks and Open Spaces Plan. Also use this fund as a potential source of monies to purchase farmland preservation easements.

B. Partner with the financial, legal, business, agriculture, and environmental communities to establish a parks/open space fund raising campaign and County endowment program to encourage donations of land, easements, and/or money. Provide recognition programs, estate planning/tax assistance, and other incentives for program participants.

C. Evaluate using existing legal authority to create a countywide impact fee on new development to pay a fair share of the capital costs of County parks, playgrounds and other recreational facilities. Sunset this fee if and when the referendum succeeds at generating the additional funding needed for park acquisition.

In order to protect the public’s investment in open space and recreational areas, buffers should be created around these special areas to shield them from the impacts of neighboring development. Owners of land next to parks or resource areas often experience an increase in land value because of the presence of the park or open space. It is reasonable, then, to protect the public investment by requiring the neighboring landowners to avoid types of development that would harm the park or resource area.

Although a variety of maps exist identifying certain natural resources and features, we should inventory the data and consolidate it in a convenient, attractive atlas. People can use this atlas to readily identify our important natural resources and features, such as floodplains, shorelands, wetlands, water basins, environmental corridors, steep slopes, hilltops, groundwater recharge areas, prime agriculture soils, and woodlands. This inventory and atlas can provide useful information to landowners, planners, and local communities and county officials as they make development decisions.

4. Update County Ordinances Regarding Proposed Development Activities in Shorelands, Wetlands, Hilltops, Steep Slopes and Other Valuable Natural Resource Areas.

A. Dane County's shoreland zoning ordinance has had only minor revisions since the state model was adopted in 1985. It needs updating to incorporate better environmental standards to protect environmental corridors and control erosion.

B. Update and amend the County erosion control, shoreland, subdivision, zoning and related ordinances to better protect our natural resources (such as shorelands, wetlands, environmental corridors, groundwater recharge/protection areas, steep slopes, hilltops and highly productive soils.) Establish performance standards to protect these resources from unsuitable development activity. In regard to steep slopes, set performance standards for slopes of 12% or more and restrict development on slopes in excess of 20%. Provide flexible design standards and incentives for developments that further natural resource protection goals.

A. The Dane County Board adopted an ordinance requiring countywide construction site erosion control standards. While enforcement of the ordinance to date has been limited to unincorporated areas of the county, the County erosion control standards legally apply within the entire territorial limit of Dane County.

The Dane County Lakes and Watershed Commission has been working cooperatively with municipal officials and developers on a strategic plan and timeline for implementing the County's construction site erosion control standards throughout the County. Their work should continue.

We hope that this cooperative effort will be successful. In the spring of 2000, Dane County will begin to enforce the construction site erosion countywide, except where a municipality adopts and enforces the county standards.

A. The increased impervious surfaces resulting from development, such as pavement and rooftops, cause water to run off a site

"Soil and water quality protection is as critical to farmland protection as is preserving the land for farming." (Planning for Wisconsin’s Future in Farming, Wisconsin Land Conservation Assn. Report, 1994)

very rapidly. This increased stormwater runoff can flood neighboring lands and also contaminate nearby waterways. Improper agricultural practices can also contaminate our water resources. Stormwater issues do not start or stop at municipal borders. A coordinated approach to stormwater management makes the most sense for protection of the resource, efficiency of government and consistency for the developer. Dane County can help in achieving uniform and effective stormwater management practices throughout Dane County by:

Coordinating an exchange of information by local governments and groups in Dane County who have stormwater management experience to find out what works best, identify concerns, and showcase successes. The local governments, development community, industry, drainage board, farmers, and environmental interests should all be included in this process. Based on this effort, Dane County should then take the lead in preparing a model stormwater program, technical standards, and ordinance. The County should also consider utilizing its existing legal authority to create an impact fee to help pay for the capital costs of stormwater management facilities. In light of the three major floods that have occurred in Dane County in the ‘90’s and flooding that is occurring in prime farm areas, especially in eastern Dane County, we should complete this process as soon as possible.

B. The County should assist the Dane County Drainage Board in mapping the drainage districts in Dane County so that this information can be used to help address stormwater runoff and flooding concerns.

Groundwater supplies nearly all of Dane County’s drinking water. Each Dane County resident uses over 150 gallons of groundwater per day in Dane County. Growth not only increases groundwater withdrawals for water supply, but it can alter the pattern and rate of groundwater recharge.

Moreover, the excessive use of road salts, fertilizers, and pesticides and poor maintenance of some animal waste and septic systems have hurt groundwater quality in some parts of Dane County.

Dane County should take the following steps to help protect our drinking water:

A. Provide technical assistance to local governments in assessing the groundwater impacts of development proposals;

"I recognize the right and duty of this generation to develop and use the natural resources of our land...but I do not recognize the right to waste, or to rob, by wasteful use, the generations that come after us." (President Teddy Roosevelt)

B. Seek funds from the federal Drinking Water State Revolving Fund for wellhead and groundwater protection activities ($1 billion per year authorized); and

C. Amend Dane County's manure storage requirements to address all types of storage and to promote nutrient management.

1. Extend and increase the Stewardship Program funding and allocate a greater portion of the fund to urbanizing counties, where rapid land costs are increasing and land availability is decreasing.

2. Establish or authorize additional funding options for Dane County to use for open space acquisition and natural resource protection.

3. Provide state estate tax exemptions for land committed to conservation easements similar to the federal estate tax exemption provided in the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997.

4. If the state substantially alters long-standing septic system rules, the County will face substantial new challenges, responsibilities and costs. In the event that the septic system rules are changed, the state should fund counties’ additional monitoring, testing and regulatory responsibilities.

5. Expand the Wisconsin Fund to fund a needs-based program to replace old, failed septic systems.

and good transportation to link the two. Jobs, housing, and transportation are basic elements of good land use and development. Each factor depends on the other - for an individual or family, for a business, and for our community as a whole. Some of the key trends are:

- Jobs in our community are growing faster than population. Between 1990 and 1996, jobs grew 18.4% and population grew 8.5%.

- Unemployment in our economy is very low -- less than 2.5% since 1989, and below 2% since 1994.

- The City of Madison has 3/4 of the jobs in our county, while it has just about half of the population and housing. Because jobs are not all where people live, traffic has increased and some companies have more difficulties in obtaining workers.

- Auto use has grown faster than population in Dane County. For example, when population grew 13.5% between 1980 and 1990, Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) rose about three times faster - some 44%.

- Traffic congestion is increasing and is projected to only increase, costing money and headaches. Repeated opinion polls, public and private leadership polls, and public input mechanisms show public concern about this growing congestion.

- Transportation systems are determined by and funded by a mix of federal, state, county, and local governments, and private sector investments.

- Most of the county's $16.8 million in transportation spending is directed to the rural country trunk highway system. Smaller amounts are spent on county highways in villages and cities, and yet even smaller amounts are spent on non-highway transportation options.

The total roadway costs for construction and maintenance of the state and local roads and streets in Dane County in 1995 were approximately $109 million. (Dane County Land Use Transportation Plan, 1997)

- Frail elderly persons, people with disabilities, poor people and youth often do not have the option to drive. By the year 2020 about a third of the county's population will be under 16 or over 65, a rough proxy for the group that especially needs safe, affordable transportation options.

- Dane County has historically had a limited role in direct economic development and housing decisions. County efforts targeted on economic development have been enhanced in recent years, including the development of the Economic Summit Council, a body of leaders that focuses on ways to promote family-supporting "jobs for the future."

A sensible community strategy for growth must link individual, business, and community decisions.

Recommended Actions

The County should --

1. Spend the County’s Transportation Dollars Cost Effectively.

"Look to the future to mass and combined transit options." (Land Use Workshop Participant)

A. Continue to invest most county transportation funding to maintain existing county highway investments and address safety needs.

B. In funding highway improvements, give priority to projects that promote efficient development. This may include adding new criteria for county participation in joint municipal projects to address transportation options -- for example, cost-sharing sidewalks or providing transit stops or bikeways. Consider added funding for transportation options.

C. Take the next steps in studying the feasibility of Commuter Rail, and, if feasible, proceed toward implementation, most likely in phases as development and financing warrant.

2. Foster a Long Range Planning Approach that Links Economic Development, Housing, and Transportation.

A. Complete the county housing plan, with explicit strategies that link the location of housing to the location of job sites and transportation.

B. Work with the Economic Summit Council to develop guiding principles for our county's economic development including community goals and strategies for growth. This effort will seek to coordinate the actions of municipalities, county government and businesses, and educational institutions to the extent possible. This effort should encourage business decisions which create quality jobs located near housing and transportation, and public-private partnerships which provide efficient transportation systems.

C. Develop and adopt a multi-year, multi-modal transportation plan. This plan should include priorities to provide transportation safety; to maintain the current county highway system; expand the availability of transportation options, such as rail, bus, biking, and walking; and make the most cost-efficient use of existing infrastructure possible -- for example, through "traffic demand management" strategies.

D. Develop a traffic demand management program as a less costly way to address traffic congestion in problem areas.

Create strategies with other public and private employers to give substantial incentives for changes that reduce and redistribute vehicle miles traveled. Consider, for example: telecommuting, alternative work scheduling (4 day weeks reduce trips; alternative hours spread peak demand), and convenient options for travel for employees other than individual cars. The County as a major employer could consider playing a key role in the Isthmus and south Madison corridor, the Verona (Badger Prairie) area, and possibly Stoughton and Sun Prairie.

E. Create a "Rural Scenic Byways" designation. In partnership with towns, designate town and county roads that are intended to remain 2-lane, low-volume, scenic, rural highways. Limit access and expansion along these roads and set development standards along the corridor. Provide a system of incentives for participation. This program could help to prevent the need for costly future expansions and preserve corridor vistas, scenic bike routes, community separation and farmland.

3. Use the County's Economic and Housing Development Resources to Promote Sensible Growth.

The County should:

"Connect residential concentrations with employment centers." (Land Use Workshop Participant)

A. Give priority in the County's BUILD program, the county's proposed "Partners for Dane" Revolving Loan Fund and CDBG programs, and other planning or economic development assistance to help local communities that have planned for and or implemented sensible growth.

B. Apply for federal HOME funds and expand county involvement in housing markets as practicable to encourage affordable and diverse housing options, especially housing located near jobs. HOME funds will also address, in part, the needs of first time homebuyers, the elderly, and others of limited means.

C. Work with the financial community to explore the implementation of a targeted Location Efficient Mortgage (LEM) program in Dane County. LEMs allow homebuyers, who have below average commuting costs because of living close to work or using mass transit, to use their transportation savings to obtain a larger mortgage than standard rules allow. Encourage the financial community to establish policies supporting mixed commercial-residential development financing and developments designed as traditional neighborhoods. Currently, secondary market loans do not favor financing residential projects in commercial zones.

D. Provide county staff assistance and financial support for employers who wish to hire low income persons and assist them in finding convenient and efficient transportation to work sites. The county has just received approximately $182,000 in federal funds it will begin using for this purpose.

1. Continue to provide funding assistance for planning and, if feasible, development and implementation of Commuter Rail.

2. As a major employer, cooperate in joint efforts and funding for traffic demand management (TDM).

sensible growth. Wisconsin's laws do not take that approach. Instead, we operate in a system where each local government has overlapping and sometimes conflicting authority over development decisions.

Dane County has 61 different local governments, each separately dealing with land use issues. Yet, the impact of many "local" development activities are felt beyond the local borders, sooner or later. For example, the cars from the new subdivision or shopping area do not stop at any one jurisdictional border; school districts have a hard time planning for the influx of students coming from the new residential developments approved by the multiple towns, cities and villages that make up the district.

Impacts add up. One house or one tavern or one convenience store might have slight impacts; but each undeniably demands services, generates travel, creates economic activity, and adds to the tax base. The impacts of these small decisions persist through time and, over time, combine with one another to change a community.

Genuinely effective planning must enable local officials and citizens to estimate and measure the cumulative impacts of large and small developments and the effect of one community’s development on its neighbors and region.

Current law makes it difficult to accomplish a coordinated "big picture" approach to growth on a county-wide basis, yet the health of our community requires us to work together to do just that. Dane County’s role should be three-fold. First, it should lead in addressing matters of regional concern, including beyond the county borders. Second, it should seek to balance the legitimate local concerns of local governments

and citizens with the competing, and sometimes conflicting, long-term interests of the larger Dane County community. And third, it should assist everyone, local officials and citizens alike, to work together on a broader, "big picture" approach to planning and to more fully consider the long-term, cumulative effect of growth and development decisions on the Dane County community.

It is especially important to figure out how much different development decisions are going to cost taxpayers before we make them. For that reason, Planning Wisconsin, the 1996 report of the State Interagency Land Use Council to Governor Thompson, recommended that county and municipal governments "assess probable budgetary (capital and operating) impacts of substantial land use choices."

The following recommended strategies and action steps are intended to help local communities take a broader and more in-depth look at the cumulative and regional impacts of local land use, promote more cooperation and consistency among local communities on land use matters, and improve communities’ local control over decisions with local impacts.

1. Work with Local Communities to Adopt a Community Impact Planning Approach -- a New Broader-Based Approach to Local Planning.

A. Develop standards for Community Impact Planning, to include components such as:

- Existing local conditions and projected growth phasing scenarios, over at least a 20-year time frame;

- An assessment of the cumulative fiscal impact on the community of the plan's projected development and

the community's ability to serve the projected development;

- Evaluating the local plan's consistency with the county's adopted plans and adjacent communities' adopted plans;

- Methods and strategies for natural resource protection, including farmland preservation;

- Procedures for extensive public participation in the planning process; and

- A plan amendment process to occur not more frequently than every two years, except in unusual circumstances.

B. Develop a standardized methodology to be used for analyzing the long-term cumulative impact of projected growth and consistency with other adopted plans.

C. Assist local communities with doing a fiscal and/or consistency analysis when requested.

D. For decisions with regional impacts, amend the County’s land division and zoning ordinance to include the Community Impact Planning standards.

2. Offer Incentives to Local Communities to Use the Community Impact Planning Approach and Streamline the Decision-Making Process on Local Matters.

In Dane County, local governments are extraordinarily committed to local control of local growth decisions. Local elected officials argue strongly that they have the detailed knowledge and devotion to their communities to make growth decisions which represent their constituents’ concerns and wishes. Proof of their dedication is the time city, village and town plan commissions and boards spend on local development requests. A recent survey to which 65% of

"The County is the logical place to work out disagreements between local units of government." (Wisconsin State Journal editorial, 3/16/98) "Develop incentives that make it better for neighboring communities to develop and implement joint plans that benefit both instead of competition." (Land Use Workshop Participant)

the local governments outside the City of Madison responded show that these citizens volunteered almost 13,000 hours a year on development discussion and decision-making.

Dane County should work with local governments to broaden and make even stronger the job we need local governments to do. The effectiveness of their work will largely determine the quality of life we enjoy throughout Dane County. If a local government will do even more than it is already doing to plan with Dane County, we should commit to honor their local decisions. If a local community adopts the new Community Impact Plan approach, and the County Board and Executive approve the plan, then:

A. In the case of towns, the county will commit to honor a town’s decision on land divisions, zoning, and conditional use permits except for matters of regional impact (such as subdivisions, towers, quarries, large commercial or industrial developments). This option would also apply within incorporated areas where the county now has approval or objecting authority for land divisions. The county and local communities wishing to exercise this option will need to agree on a process and standards to distinguish between regional and local decisions. In addition, the consistency of local decisions with the plan will be regularly reviewed. The county will continue to provide technical assistance and perform record keeping functions but would leave local decision-making up to the local community, to the extent current laws allow. This new approach will improve the approval process for local matters because one level of decision-making (the county’s) would be streamlined.

B. The county will provide planning and other technical assistance to any local community interested in implementing the Community Impact Planning approach.

3. Promote a Coordinated, Intergovernmental Approach to Land Use Planning and Decision-Making in Dane County.

Everyone benefits from a more consistent approach. Consistency helps developers know what they need to do early on,

From 1994-1997, 7,991 acres were annexed by Dane County villages and cities. (WI Dept of Administration) "The best way to save the country is to save the city, and the best way to save the city is to save the country." (Mayor Richard Arrington, Birmingham (1993))

streamlines the process, and prevents one community from being leveraged against another. To promote intergovernmental coordination, the County will:

A. Invite the chief elected officials from throughout the county to meet with the County Executive at least semi-annually to discuss growth-related issues of common concern.

B. Encourage and assist all Dane County communities in reaching cooperative agreements with their neighbors.

Some communities have taken the lead in setting up these agreements. We can learn from these examples and assist other communities by providing technical assistance data and facilitation in reaching cooperative land use agreements when requested. We should work with local communities toward a set goal for having these agreements in place, perhaps in 3 years.

4. Encourage and Offer Assistance to Cities, Villages and Towns to Develop Annexation Policies that Promote Sensible Growth.

Perhaps no land use action is more controversial in Dane County than annexation. Annexations are a powerful tool in developing lands near cities and villages. Like many tools, they can be used to good or bad effects. The test, especially from a county-wide perspective, is whether a particular annexation promotes sensible growth.

Virtually everyone who comments on annexation agrees that current state laws on annexation are flawed and should be revised. Some cities and villages want more annexation powers; towns typically believe cities and villages have too much power now; and taxpayers, residents and property owners from both sides are caught in between.

When annexation disputes arise, the problems are further compounded when school district boundaries do not follow municipal boundaries. It is clear that current state annexation laws are a source of significant urban/rural tension. They do not necessarily promote sensible growth and should be changed. However, until then, the County should:

"Faced with decreasing ... aid...and rising property taxes, it is surprising that many Dane County municipalities have ignored the Impact Fee Statute." (Badger Builder article, "Impact Fees," March-April, 1998)

A. Encourage and assist cities, villages and towns to adopt a policy that they will annex undeveloped lands only when:

- The county, town, affected school district and all interested parties have been given an opportunity to comment on the proposed annexation and these comments are explicitly considered by the city or village prior to annexation; and

- A fiscal/public facilities/services impact analysis has been prepared prior to the proposed annexation, and the annexation can be shown to promote sensible growth.

B. Provide planning/technical assistance, upon request, to help a city or village perform a Community Impact Analysis before acting on a requested annexation.

C. Assist in facilitating/mediating intergovernmental agreements when invited by the local governments seeking to avoid or resolve an annexation dispute.

D. Regularly monitor annexations, and object to those which do not promote sensible growth.

6. Plan for quarries and gravel pits on a county-wide basis.

"Create a bridge to surrounding counties." (Land Use Workshop Participant)

One of the most persistently contentious issues in Dane County is the siting of quarries. Quarries are necessary; however, they generate environmental, health, safety, and property value concerns. Currently, the county deals with quarries on a case by case basis in a wholly reactive process. Frequently, the request to site a particular quarry results in a bitter, confusing, and long-lived controversy that consumes enormous amounts of time of property owners, business people, neighbors, and local and county elected officials. These disputes often divide communities and involve neighboring local governments in dispute.

In order to provide for more efficient, fair, and rational siting and reclamation of quarries, the county should:

A. Consolidate the information and maps to show commercially important deposits of gravel and other minerals extracted through quarrying in Dane County.

B. Convene a working group of interested citizens, elected officials, environmental and quarrying experts, and industry representatives to recommend environmental standards and those areas of the county where quarrying can be conducted safely and with minimal, acceptable disruption of residents and those areas where environmental conditions or the type or amount of development makes quarrying an inappropriate activity.

C. Bring the recommendations of the working group to the County Board and, if necessary, other local governments.

D. Adopt an ordinance establishing a reclamation program in compliance with the new uniform state non-metallic mining standards.

7. Consider a Countywide Impact Fee Ordinance; Assist Towns, Cities and Villages to Utilize Impact Fees.

"While the [Land Use Council] report highlights many successful... land use programs... it also stresses the need for a more cooperative and integrated approach to land use management at the municipal, county and state government levels." (State Administration Secretary Mark Bugher, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 7/18/96)

Dane County is one of the fastest growing areas in Wisconsin. This new growth places substantial pressure on current public facilities (such as highways and parks) and requires significant government and taxpayer expenditures for new, improved or expanded public facilities.

Impact fees placed on new development can help allocate some of the responsibility for these costs to those who benefit from the new development. In spite of continuing pressures and demands on taxpayers, few Dane County communities have utilized the state’s recently-enacted impact fee law. Perhaps this is because of the relative newness and complexities of the law. Perhaps some municipalities fear being the "first on the block" to use this approach. If all Dane County communities follow a uniform approach to impact fees, developers would know what to expect and taxpayers could be reassured they are paying only their fair share.

Dane County can help by preparing a recommended standard methodology for local impact fees and assisting towns, villages and cities to apply it.

The law does not allow a county to use impact fees to the same extent as cities, villages or towns can, but has the local authority to impose some impact fees. The county should study and report on a possible county-wide impact fee ordinance.

8. Promote Multi-County Planning Discussions to Address Growth Issues Beyond Dane County’s Borders.

Just as the impacts of growth do not stop at local government borders, they do not stop at the County's borders either. For example, Dane County residents are concerned about what is happening across the border near Belleville and Brooklyn, and the Columbus area in Columbia County is seeing the impact of increased commercial growth in far eastern Madison.

 

The County should:

A. Offer planning, technical assistance, and facilitation to local Dane County communities to promote intergovernmental agreements with adjoining local communities in neighboring counties.

B. Invite surrounding County officials to meet to begin addressing common concerns and meet with the Dane County Regional Planning Commission (RPC) to explore the potential for expanding the RPC to include Dane and several surrounding counties.

 

Recommended State Actions:

In recognition of the fact that growth and development impacts can be widespread and do not stop at municipal boundaries, many states have established statewide land use goals and consistency requirements to foster a more comprehensive and coordinated approach to land use planning. For years, people have been advocating that Wisconsin adopt some local planning and consistency requirement. The 1996 report of the State Interagency Land Use Council encourages local governments to develop comprehensive plans that are consistent with county plans. Recently, the report of the Joint Legislative Council's Special Committee on Land Use Policy (1998) recommended that a consistency requirement be adopted as part of a state framework. Without state action in this area, Dane County (and others) will be limited in the ability to improve consistency and coordination in local land use planning.

1. State law should require consistency between local plans and other adopted local, county, regional and state plans; establish procedures for resolving disputes; and provide funds for local planning assistance.

2. The State statutes should require all developments of regional impact to be subject to County approval, whether in an incorporated or unincorporated area.

3. The State should revise the annexation laws to develop a procedure that asks whether the development of the area proposed for annexation promotes sensible, efficient growth goals and promotes long-term cooperative land use planning.

and money are precious, whether spent by a developer on holding costs or by a community for multiple meetings. It is in everyone's interests to be efficient and fair in reviewing specific development proposals so that we can focus on considering the quality of the proposals. We should also use new information technologies available up front so that everyone can make more informed growth decisions based upon the long-term costs and benefits to the community.

Recommended Actions

The County should --

1. Streamline the County's Development Procedures and Reduce Multiple Reviews Where Possible.

State laws control many of the procedures and timelines the County must follow on zoning or subdivision reviews. Additionally, a development proposal can be subject to review by multiple local entities (town, county and city or village using extraterritorial powers) plus several state agency reviews. The County's ability to vary from these statutory procedures is limited but we can take the following steps to improve the process and focus on improving the quality of the result:

A. Implement the merger of the Dane County Planning and Development Department staff and the staff of the Dane County Regional Planning Commission. Coordinate staff reviews to offer customers seamless service. Include complete co-location of the merged staff at a convenient site for customers.

B. Develop brochures to clearly explain the zoning/platting processes and a series of zoning/platting check lists to quickly identify what information is needed and whether it has been satisfactorily submitted. This will avoid delays caused by incomplete submittals.

C. Work with the Zoning and Natural Resources (ZNR) Committee to develop specific recommendations for: a) better coordinating the various county staff level reviews; b) consolidating activities between the

Two-thirds of all towns now own computers or have access to one. (Dane County Towns Association Newsletter, 8/97)

county, town, city and village (such as joint applications, joint hearings, joint information requests, etc.); c) streamlining ZNR Committee procedures; d) identifying items that could be handled as administrative decisions to reduce ZNR workload and speed the process; and e) determining whether electronic filing could be made more available.

D. Expedite Board of Adjustment (BOA) proceedings by having special exception requests for grading and fill activities handled administratively under the erosion control standards. This change will streamline procedures without foregoing environmental compliance. It will also reduce the Board of Adjustment's workload substantially. Explore whether there are other reasonable means to reduce the BOA workload and streamline the variance process.

2. Expand Use of the County's Computer Technology and Existing Land Use Information By:

A. Publishing and widely disseminating a composite listing and description of Dane County land use information.

Much useful land use information already exists such as data and/or maps showing parcel size and ownership, land improvement values, zoning, roads, streams, soil types, agriculture yields, contours, wetlands, woodlands, etc. The County readily shares this information. For example, the Dane County Land Information Office provides GIS on a CD-Rom to local governments. However, many people are not fully aware of what is available. Furthermore, the data is spread through several different county, regional and state agencies (LIO, LCC, RPC, UW, etc.). Widespread distribution of a comprehensive listing of what is available would be helpful.

B. Increasing access to the county's computerized land use information.

"Create multiple touring exhibits that visually show growth pattern - use GIS mapping to show rapid change over time." (Land Use Workshop Participant)

Information about land resources and development activities can be made more readily accessible, to more people throughout Dane County, by greater use of computer technology. For example, GIS data and composite maps should be made available via the internet. Centralized information about County requirements and procedures, pending applications, public hearings, technical resources, and assistance should be made available through the County's web page. The County should also continue to expand available databases containing information such as land use plans, land cover, areas susceptible to surface and groundwater contamination, transportation systems, etc.

C. Offering regular technical training workshops and conferences for the mutual exchange of information by County and local staff and officials.

3. Join with the University to Offer Local Communities the Opportunity to Pilot a Citizen-based, Technology-linked Land use Decision-making Approach (the "Shaping Dane's Future" Demonstration Project).

This demonstration project would build on information presented by the University at the County Executive's January and February, 1998 Land Use Workshops. The focus will be on demonstrating how GIS and laptop computing, image technology and multi-media, interactive technology can be used in the land use decision-making process to:

1. Evaluate the impacts of proposed development;

2. Visualize alternative development patterns; and

3. Combine the desired planning outcomes with relevant ordinances and standards.

The extent of the demonstration will be dependent upon the availability of outside matching funds.

Recommended State Actions:

1. To assist in demonstrating the local planning benefits of the state's investment in the Land Information Program, the state should provide start up funding assistance for the "Shaping Dane's Future" demonstration project described above.

and local elected officials, public servants, and citizens. We all have something to do in making Dane County an even better place to live.

We also need to remember progress takes time and will likely occur incrementally. The Design Dane! action plan does not rely on any one

action to reach our goals; rather, it proposes that a combination of steps is the best way to move us forward. We are committed to periodically re-examining and refining Design Dane! For all these reasons, now more than ever, people need to stay involved in designing Dane County’s future.

1. Appoint a Citizen Land Use Commission to Review and Report on Progress.

In order to help ensure implementation of the Design Dane! action plan, the County Executive will appoint a broad-based citizen group to periodically review implementation progress and make land use recommendations. The Commission will also be charged to recommend ways of increasing and improving public participation in Dane County’s growth decisions.

2. Hold an Annual "State of the Land" Event Where the County Executive and the Citizen Land Use Commission Report on Progress in Implementing Design Dane!

This event will focus on discovering what is working in Design Dane! and what needs improvement. The occasion will also enable the County to specially thank local governments, organizations, and citizens who have helped Dane County grow sensibly.

3. Make Land Use-Related Information More Readily Available to the Public.

The people of Dane County, time and time again, show they care deeply about what is happening in the County and that they want to be better informed. Frequently, however, people are unfamiliar with the process and do not know much about a specific proposal until it is in the final stages of review. This is an inefficient process and, understandably, everyone becomes quite frustrated with "the system" when this happens. Although Dane County has a good record of complying with the public notice requirements of the law, that is not good enough. In today's busy times, information should be more widely and easily accessible and there should be varied opportunities for people to be involved in planning and deciding what happens in their

"Need continued education of citizens, planners, elected officials." (Land Use Workshop Participant)

community. The following steps are recommended:

A. Set up an electronic notice system through the County's web page to publicize pending applications, meetings, and upcoming events. Assist cities, villages, and towns in setting up a similar electronic notice system and/or to use the County's system.

B. Work with towns to encourage other means of giving effective public notice about rezoning requests and similar decision-making.

C. Compile, maintain and publicize a "land use form file" and reference loan library, (hard copy and electronic), of sample documents, articles (e.g., land use plans, design standards, fiscal and environmental analyses, conservation easements, permits, checklists, development agreements, ordinances, and intergovernmental agreements.

4. Provide Land Use Planning, Education and Technical Assistance at the Grass Roots Level.

Dane County is blessed with many people who want to learn more about local land use planning and become more active in shaping their own communities. The County can help meet this need by doing the following:

A. Conduct regular training workshops for County and local officials, staff, plan commissions, developers, and interested citizens.

B. Seek outside funding to set up a scholarship program to annually sponsor a local plan commissioner's attendance at a state or regional land use conference.

C. Work with business that wish to grow, enabling them to do so consistent with a sensible pattern of community development and efficient provision of public facilities and services.

D. Solicit funding to produce and distribute an educational video on Dane County, its land, resources and people.

E. Work with the University, area Chambers of Commerce, and other local groups to organize a volunteer speakers bureau to make presentations throughout the County.

F. Expand Dane County's excellent volunteer initiative to include more land use-related activities. For example, seek volunteers with planning-related expertise, computer or facilitation skills to participate in the speakers' bureau, local planning assistance grant program, and/or school project.

G. Work with local media and the Dane County Cultural Affairs Commission to sponsor a project to highlight and celebrate what people cherish most about Dane County.