Action Alert - Rock Environmental Network

EXPIRED BULLETIN

When: Thursday, February 26, 2009. 6:00 PM

What: Rock County Board of Supervisors Meeting to decide on how to split 1.8M that the County will receive in 2009 from American Transmission Company (ATC) for allowing high power lines to cross our county.

Where: Rock County Courthouse, Janesville, Room 4R (4th floor, through security)

Background: In November of 2008, The County board chose to set aside for parks and conservation projects, a $1.8 million, one-time payment from the American Transmission Co. Struggling over the money are the land conservation committee and the parks committee. They met jointly on Jan. 19 but were unable to write a resolution to split the money.

Here's what they are asking for, according to committee documents:

Land conservation

The land conservation committee Feb. 4 approved a resolution to split the money in half. The committee wants to spend the money in three places:
-- $740,000 for a purchase of development rights program (PDR); to protect working lands. County planning officials are interested in developing a program that protects farmland while letting farmers get money for their property, and keep them from feeling forced to sell to developers. The money will be separated into two sub-categories, staff/support, ($290,000) and reserve for grant match, ($450,000) (There are state and federal grants available for these programs, however, you have to have money to get the grants, allowing this money to actually apply for additional funds.) This money could be a "one time shot" to get the program started, committee member Robert Fizzell of Beloit said at the Jan. 19 meeting.
-- $150,000 for a continuous hazardous waste clean sweep program. That's how much it would cost to turn the county's temporary hazardous waste collection program into an annual one, according to the committee's executive summary. The money would last seven to 10 years, depending on state grants. No additional staffing would be necessary.
-- $10,000 to restore county-owned property on the county campus along Highway 51. The idle property has been taken over by invasive specie. The money would be used to remove trees and stumps and buy prairie grass seeds and new trees, and restore an area to the original old oak savanna.

Parks

The parks committee Feb. 10 approved a resolution to allocate $250,000 to land conservation and the rest—$1.56 million—to parks.
The county is poised to approve a five-year parks, outdoor recreation and open space plan, said Kurt Yankee, chairman of the parks committee.
That plan includes $15 million in possible projects. They might not all happen, but the county can't ask for matching grants if it doesn't list projects, according to the committee's executive summary.
The projects include:
-- $825,000 for Carver-Roehl Park. Most of that—$775,000—would be added to the $75,000 already budgeted to fix the culvert at the park entrance to reduce flooding.
-- $350,000 for Gibbs Lake Park. The money would improve trails, buy land and improve shelters and restrooms.
-- $260,000 for Happy Hollow Park. The money would improve trails, shelters and erosion control.
-- $450,000 to Magnolia Bluff Park. The money would go to improve trails, buy land, build shelters and control erosion.
The summary plans for invasive species control at all four parks.

OUR VIEWS: ATC Money has been allocated to Parks AND Conservation. While park projects are definitely in need of funding, the Conservation committee is no less deserving. Parklands are already included on our maps, and are in no danger of being lost to development. A farmland/working lands protection protection program is desperately needed to protect the richest farmland on earth from development, and splitting the money, 50/50 between parks and conservation, is the only fair option.

WHAT CAN YOU DO?: Be at the meeting and either register to speak and voice your opinion to the County Board, or if you agree with splitting the money and do not want to speak, stand in favor of a 50/50 split when asked to do so. Either way, this money belongs to the residents of Rock County.

If you can't attend the meeting, email your concerns to the County Board of Supervisors at webmaster@co.rock.wi.us

Information supplied by Rock Environmental Network