County to accept comments through March 2

BY KEVIN BONESKE

REPORTER/PHOTOGRAPHER

Oneida County residents will have three opportunities over four days to have their say on proposed changes to the county’s zoning and shoreland protection ordinance.

The county’s Planning and Development Committee, which has been going through the planned changes with the county’s planning and zoning department, has scheduled public hearings for Feb. 27 at the Woodruff Town Hall, March 1 in the Three Lakes Town Board Room and March 2 in the County Board Room of the Courthouse in Rhinelander with all three hearings beginning at 6 p.m.

The changes in the county ordinance are being made in response to revisions in state law, for which counties that currently have shoreland zoning ordinance standards more restrictive than established in the applicable state law and regulations can no longer enforce the stricter standards.

Committee members discussed the format for the upcoming public hearings at their meeting Wednesday when they agreed to include a Power Point presentation to explain the shoreland protection provisions and then take public comments. They also decided to have a deadline of March 2, when the final public hearing takes place, for people to submit any written comments they have.

Following the three public hearings, committee members plan to discuss the comments they receive when they meet March 15 and decide whether to make any revisions to the shoreland zoning changes being considered. Though that meeting would have a public comment period on the agenda, committee members noted that wouldn’t be for the purpose of holding another public hearing.

Once the committee would agree on the changes to be made, the proposed ordinance amendment would be sent to the full County Board for final approval.

Copies of the proposed ordinance amendment are now available for public inspection at the county planning and zoning offices in Rhinelander and Minocqua and will also be available during the evenings of the public hearings at the three locations.