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HomeMy WebLinkAboutUnApproved LWCC MINUTES_April 2_2013GRANT COUNTY LAND & WATER CONSERVATION COMMITTEE MEETING April 2, 2013 9:00 a.m. Ag Services Building Lancaster, Wisconsin The meeting was called to order by Chairman Mark Stead at 9:00 a.m. Present in addition to Chairman Stead were; Dwight Nelson, Lester Jantzen, Roger Guthrie, Dale Hood, Myron Tranel and Vince Loeffelholz. Others present were, Larry Wolf, Jared Reuter, Kevin Lange, Lynda Schweikert, and Annette Lolwing. Certification of Open Meeting Law: Annette Lolwing Annette Lolwing sent the agenda to Karla Schwantes to post in the Administration Building and at the Courthouse, also sent an agenda to Bob Middendorf, WGLR, and was posted in the front of the Ag Service Building. Media notices were sent to Karla Schwantes, Herald Independent, Tri County Press, Platteville Journal, and the Muscoda Progressive. Motion by Dale Hood, seconded by Lester Jantzen to approve the agenda as printed. Motion carried. Motion by Vince Loeffelholz, seconded by Roger Guthrie to approve the March 5, 2013 minutes with a correction that Larry Wolf was present at the meeting. Motion carried. Bills: Annette Lolwing Motion by Dwight Nelson, seconded by Lester Jantzen to approve the bills. Motion carried. County Cost Sharing Requests: Lynda Schweikert Lynda presented final approval request for county cost sharing on a well decommissioning for Randy Bendorf, South Lancaster Twp., $278.00. Motion by Dwight Nelson, seconded by Lester Jantzen to approve payment on the house well. Roll Call: 7 Yes, 0 No, 0 Absent. Motion carried. Lynda presented final approval request for county cost sharing on a well decommissioning for Randy Bendorf, South Lancaster Twp., $491.10. Motion by Vince Loeffelholz, seconded by Dale Hood to approve payment on the farm well. Roll Call: 7 Yes, 0 No, 0 Absent. Motion carried. Lynda presented tentative approval request for county cost sharing on 3 waste impoundments closures for Nick Mumm, Glen Haven Twp., $3,500.00. Motion by Lester Jantzen, seconded by Roger Guthrie to approve Nick’s request. Motion carried. SWRM Cost Sharing: Lynda Schweikert No SWRM Cost Sharing to report. Correspondence: Letter Concerning Update to Animal Waste Storage Ordinance: Mark Stead The LWCD received a letter from Steve Adrian in regards to the recent changes to the Animal Waste Storage Ordinance that Mark Stead read out loud. See attachment. Myron requested that Lynda write a response letter back to the landowner. Herman Maier Requesting Determination on Altering Existing Storage Facility: Lynda Schweikert Lynda reported that Herman Maier stopped in to ask about adding manure from a 2nd free stall building that he will be constructing into his existing manure storage facility that was built through the ag waste ordinance. Herman asked Lynda to present his ideas as to how he is intending to distribute the manure into the existing manure storage facility. Herman’s first thought was to cut a hole through the berm and run a 2nd pipe into the existing storage facility. This would be disturbing the composition and compaction of the berm. Lynda felt this would be considered altering. Also asked if he can take a pipe from the new free stall and connect it into the existing pipe that gravity flows into the existing manure storage facility. Both of Herman’s requests will shorten the amount of days of storage. Roger Guthrie, seconded by Vince Loeffelholz made a motion that adding an additional pipe is considered altering the existing storage facility since the existing transfer system was included in the original permit. Motion carried. Discussion on Combining Land & Water with Planning & Zoning: Mark Stead The County Board Chairman contacted Mark Stead stating that at the last Planning and Zoning/Sanitation meeting the Zoning Administrator handed in his resignation and is moving out of the county. Lester Jantzen is also on the Planning and Zoning/Sanitation Committee, he reported, that it was only brought up in discussion and may be a feasible time to look at combining the Planning, Zoning/Sanitation with the Land and Water Conservation Department. Lynda sent out a survey to all 72 counties, 34 responded, 16 counties had combined and 18 counties had not combined. Lynda explained that a state grant pays for 100% of Lynda’s wages, and a portion of Kevin’s wages. Typically you put the highest paid person first so you can get the full 100% wages paid by DATCP. State grant money can only be used for Land and Water Conservation so time used for Zoning would decrease the amount of mone y received from the state. It could hypothetically decrease the state funding of approximately $9,000 if the departments would combine. Land and Water Conservation Report: Lynda Schweikert Lynda reported and explained the SWRM staffing grant application for calendar year 2014. DATCP dropped the base grant from $85,000 down to $75,000. We are requesting $193,736 for staff and support. Realistically they have only been able to fund the 1st person and a portion of the 2nd position. DATCP will be using a new method to base the cost share allocation formula on. This new criteria should favor Grant County. Lynda asked for $100,000 for structural cost sharing, but usually only receive around $60,000. Lynda is requesting $25,000 for SEG Cost Share Funds that go toward the cost sharing of Nutrient Management Plans. We have a difficult time spending SEG funds because of the continuing compliance clause. Lynda will be submitting the SWRM grant application prior to the April 15, 2013 deadline. Lynda reported that the ATCP 50 Public Hearing for the new performance standards will be held on April 3, 2013 from 2:30 to 4:30 at the Ullsvik Hall, UW Platteville. Lynda handed out a letter of concerns relating to the new pending rules of the ATCP 50. Will be sending this letter to Lisa Schultz, DATCP, regarding the Public Comments to the ATCP 50 Hearing Draft Rule. See attached letter. Lynda reported that she did check on the income limitation for the Farmland Preservation Program. Lynda stated that there are no income limitations, except for the minimum requirements of $6,000 income on agricultural commodities to be eligible for the FPP. Lynda reported that there have been some manure spills in the county. Lynda is working with DNR on these issues. Lynda asked for any comments on the WLWCA Conference. This was the first conference with the merging of the supervisors and the employees. Had some good breakout sessions. FPP Report: Kevin Lange Kevin reported that he has 4 Cancellations of Notice of NonCompliance; Don & Ruth Bahl, South Lancaster Twp., Donald Pennekamp, North Potosi Twp., Cory Henneman, Hickory Grove Twp., and Leonard Link, Paris Twp., were initially found out of compliance as they failed to provide us with a Nutrient Management Plan in the allotted time, they have now provided us with one. Lynda signed off on the Cancellations of Notice of NonCompliance to get them to the Department of Revenue in a timely manner. Kevin has been receiving questions from these landowners asking if they are able to collect the 2012 FPP tax credits. He is encouraging them to contact the Department of Revenue for their answer. Kevin reported that he has issued 3 certification of compliance to get back into the Farmland Preservation Program; Gerald Kieler, Harrison Twp., Dallas Dietzel, Paris Twp., and Dave and Marie McClain, Harrison Twp. Kevin reported that since the tree sale started back in 1996 we have always been able to meet our tentative delivery date, but this year it may be pushed back a 1 to 2 weeks. NRCS Report: Marlene Sorenson Marlene reported that she will be giving the NRCS report as the new acting DC, Joe Schmelz, is sick. He is a soil conservationist in Iowa County. Joe will be the acting DC until the end of May.  The EQIP SU has ended and we ended up with 60 applications, and 51 were funded. In cropland there were 25 contracts; 13 in pastureland, 6 in farmstead, 1 in forestry, 4 seasonal high tunnels, 1 organic, and 1 beginning farmer. There were 6 landowners that did not get funded through the regular EQIP sign up; therefore they had a chance to sign up for the DALCI (Driftless Area Land Conservation Initiative) program. DALCI does not cover all the EQIP practices, only approximately ¾ of them. There are 4 main pools of money; working lands (pastureland and cropland) pool, a forestry pool, a prairie and oak savannah pool, and a cold stream restoration pool. Had 13 DALCI applications: 4 applications in the Working Lands pool, 7 applications for forestry, 2 applications in the cold stream restoration – 1 in the Blue River and 1 in the Green River, and 0 in the prairie oak savannah. April 19 is the deadline for ranking the DALCI applications.  The annual FSA Status Reviews are coming up. NRCS staff is not able to complete the status reviews in your own county. This year Marlene will be working on Crawford County’s 13 status reviews, Brian Hillers, and Carlton Peterson, from Richland Center will be doing the 44 status reviews in Grant County. FSA Report: Jared Reuter Jared reported that they have an initiative, in Grant, Sauk, and Eau Claire County that is pushing well head protection buffers. FSA will be sending out a mailing to those landowners that are around or near a municipal water source to ask them if they would be interested in enrolling their fields, up to 2,000 feet to protect the municipal well head. This is a continuous CRP SU that is offering a 10% signing incentive, they still need to meet crop history, and 51% of the area must fall within a field to be eligible to enroll it.  There was a concern that because of the sequestration – Will the CRP payments going to be issued? The existing CRP contracts will be paid.  The DCP, regular yearly commodity sign up is set to take an 8% reduction to meet the sequestration requirements for reduction in the budgets.  The milk program and the SURE disaster programs that have 2011 applications; FSA will not be able to make payments at this time.  Getting ready for crop reporting.  Heating and cooling company will be cutting a vent into the server room with a thermostat. On off work hours they will be working with the rest of the heating and cooling system.  They had an accessibility review; and there were a number of things that were addressed that the landlord needs to fix. No word on the leasing situation. Motion by Dwight Nelson, seconded by Vince Loeffelholz to adjourn until May 7, 2013. Respectfully Submitted by Annette Lolwing for Lester Jantzen