By Lori Adler
Reporter

The Oneida County Board of Supervisors held their monthly meeting Tuesday. One topic up for discussion was the proposed new speed zone in the Town of Nokomis.

The new speed zone was proposed by the county public works committee based upon feedback from area residents who had safety concerns. In addition, the committee followed recommendations from the State Highway Commission which had conducted an extensive traffic study. The speed zone is on Co. Hwy L and runs from the Oneida/Lincoln county line to the south and Rocky Road to the north, encompassing the twisting section through the Lake Nokomis area. The speed limit for this zone, a stretch of just over 3.5 miles, will be 45 mph.

There was discussion regarding the length of the zone, with some supervisors suggesting the zone end at Point of Pines Road instead of Rocky Road.

“The largest complaint I heard was why didn’t we stop it at Point of Pines Road, which would be the end where that congestion is,” Supervisor Alan VanRaalte said, later adding, “I would say that the issue is probably split right down the middle, but I think more people would support the speed limit reduction as far north as Point of Pines Road than as supported it north of Point of Pines Road.”

“The committee did take a look at that, and what we thought was when you head north past Point of Pines, you’re moving into a corner and then another corner,” Supervisor Robb Jensen, who serves on the public works committee, explained.

Supervisor Ted  Cushing remarked, “You had to be at this committee with a room full of people requesting this; there wasn’t an empty chair in the room, and they’re saying that to them it’s a safety issue. Do we ignore them? Do we become proactive or do we become reactive? I don’t care if there were 20 accidents or one accident; we needed to do something. And I think that we did the right thing based on the people who came and asked us for it.”

In the end, the board approved the new speed zone, taking the original recommendation from the public works committee. Signage for the new zone was already in place prior to Tuesday’s meeting but was not legally enforceable until the board’s formal approval.

Land and Water Conservation Fees
The board approved a request from the Oneida County Land and Water Conservation Department to add new fees to their fee schedule. These fees will be assessed when there is a Land and Water Conservation violation, and the violator asks for help from the department in determining the best way to remediate the situation. Because these situations take time to review the issue and prepare a solution, it was felt by Land and Water Conservation that fees should be assessed for these services. The fee for creation of a restoration/erosion control plan designed by the department will be $750. The fee for a plan review for plans not designed by them will be $400. Fees will only be assessed to those who have been issued a violation and are now seeking the office’s help in determining the best way to fix the problem.

Public Records Copy Fee Changes
In accordance with a directive from the state of Wisconsin, the fees for copies made as part of a public records request have been reduced. Costs for this service have been calculated, and per the state, only the cost should be charged as counties should not be making a profit on these services. Black and white copies will be 10 cents each and color copies will be 20 cents each. Electronic copies will be provided free of charge, unless a cd/dvd is requested, in which case .20 cents will be charged for each cd/dvd requested.

Next Meeting
The next meeting of the Oneida County Board of Supervisors is scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 17, at 9:30 a.m. at the Oneida County Courthouse in Rhinelander.