Dunn County Board refers lake district to Planning, Resources & Development Committee for public hearing
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By LeAnn R. Ralph
MENOMONIE — The Dunn County Board has referred the holding of a public hearing on the proposed Tainter Lake Rehabilitation District to the Dunn County Planning, Resources and Development Committee.
Chase Cummings, county conservationist, told the Dunn County Board at the July 27 meeting that he has been working with the Friends of the Red Cedar Basin for the past year on the proposal for the Tainter Lake Rehabilitation District.
Forming a lake rehabilitation district is covered under Chapter 33 of Wisconsin state statutes.
Petitions signed by landowners in the proposed lake rehabilitation district were turned in to the county clerk on July 14, he said.
The county clerk has determined the percentage of valid signatures, Cummings said.
Of the 945 property owners, 508 who signed the petitions were valid signatures, representing 53 percent of the total landowners, said Andrew Mercil, county clerk.
State law requires 51 percent of the landowners to sign petitions in favor of forming a lake rehabilitation district before the proposal can advance to a public hearing.
After the signatures have been validated, the next step is for the Dunn County Board to refer the proposal to a committee for a public hearing, Cummings said.
Within three months after the public hearing, the committee will report to the Dunn County Board on the result of the public hearing, he said, noting that the Planning, Resources and Development Committee would be the committee best suited for holding the public hearing.
After the report to the county board on the public hearing, the Dunn County Board has three months to make a decision on forming the Tainter Lake Rehabilitation District, Cummings said.
State statute sets the criteria for forming a lake district, he said.
State statue also sets a strict timeline for considering the lake district, and based on the date when the signatures were turned in to the county clerk, the public hearing must be held by August 12, Cummings said.
This a process vote to establish a committee for the public hearing,
and the Executive Committee is recommending the Planning, Resources and Development Committee if the Dunn County Board agrees, said Kelly McCullough, chair of the Dunn County Board.
County staff are recommending that the PR&D committee be appointed by the Dunn County Board to hold the public hearing, said Nick Lange, Dunn County corporation counsel and interim county manager.
The Dunn County Board also could hold the public hearing, he said.
The Dunn County Board unanimously approved referring the public hearing for the proposed Tainter Lake Rehabilitation District to the Dunn County Planning, Resources and Development Committee.
The PR&D committee could hold the public hearing during a regular meeting or could hold a special meeting for the public hearing, McCullough said.
According to state law, notices must be mailed to all of the more than 900 property owners in the proposed lake district before the public hearing, Cummings told the PR&D committee at the committee’s July12 meeting.
According to the statute, the Dunn County Board’s decision must be based on four criteria: is the petition signed by the required number of landowners; is the district necessary; will the district promote public health and public welfare; and will the property in the district benefit from establishing a district? he told the PR&D committee.
The Tainter Lake Rehabilitation District would be a taxing authority.
The lake district would cover the area from the dam at Cedar Falls to the Russian Slough on the Red Cedar River to the Hay River near Peninsula Park.
