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Wisconsin Land Council AppointedThe Governor has appointed planners David Fodroczi of the St. Croix County Planning Department and Arnold Clement of Racine County Planning and Development to serve on the newly formed Wisconsin Land Council. Mr. Fodroczi will serve as the county representative and Mr. Clement holds the seat reserved for a local government representative. Act 27, creating the Wisconsin Land Council, called for sixteen members, including the secretaries of the departments of administration; agriculture, trade and consumer protection; commerce; natural resources; revenue; transportation; and the state cartographer. In addition, the legislation called for one member to represent the interest of cities (Timothy Hann, City of Appleton); one member to represent the interests of towns (Pamela Hicks, Town of Washington); one member to represent the interest of counties (Fodroczi); and one member to represent the interests of local government (Clement). The remaining members of the council include a representative of the University of Wisconsin System (Gordon Baldwin, UW Law School) and four members of the public (William Mielke, Ruekert and Mielke, Waukesha; Matthew Miller, The Rauland Agency, Walworth; Mike Wehler, Plain; and Philip Slakin, Archaelogical Consulting and Services, Verona). The appointment of planners to serve as the county and local government representatives provides an opportunity for professional planning principles to shape the work of the council. In interviews with WAPANews,Arnold Clement and David Fodroczi discussed the issues they see as among the most important for the Wisconsin Land Council. Mr. Clement considers his appointment "a real opportunity to be able to do something positive" for Wisconsin's local communities. Clement has served as past chair of the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission's regional planning advisory committee for the year 2000 and 2010 plans. Clement is hoping to facilitate a seamless land use pattern across local government boundaries and to create a system that will facilitate planning at all levels. Finally, he is interested in developing planning resources that will allow local communities to carry out planning in a responsible and effective manner. David Fodroczi sees the focus of the Wisconsin Land Council as evaluating and making recommendations regarding state planning law. "I have lived with the legacy of those laws," Mr. Fodroczi said, "and I appreciate the need for improvement and updating." One problem he expects the Council to address is the lack of consistency in Wisconsin law in relation to the authority given to different levels of government. This inconsistency "contributes to inter-governmental tension and conflicts." Mr. Fodroczi also expressed his interest in the involvement of the land information board and staff. He looks forward to identifying advantages for mutual benefit between land information and the Wisconsin Land Council. |
