Eau Claire County Farm Preservation Plan Update-12/20/2023 

Comprehensive Planning

Under this program, Eau Claire County is required by state law to prepare a comprehensive plan by 2010 and then update that plan at least every 10 years. The comprehensive plan will evaluate the interrelationships between various characteristics of the county, combining plans for each of these features into an overall plan. The following characteristics or features will be addressed: the transportation system (roads, railways, modes of transportation, etc.); available utilities and public services; natural resources; economic development; land use; housing; agricultural resources; cultural resources; and opportunities for intergovernmental cooperation. Funding for the initial development of a comprehensive plan will come from grants and the tax levy.   

Solid Waste Management Planning

This program includes planning for all components of a solid waste management system including collection, processing, transporting, and disposal of solid waste. Priorities for solid waste management in Eau Claire County are: 1) to encourage the overall reduction of waste; 2) to encourage reuse of items, rather than disposal; 3) to encourage and support recycling of waste materials that can be recycled; 4) to encourage and support other alternatives to disposal including composting, incineration, etc.; and 5) to ensure that appropriate and environmentally sound disposal facilities are available for citizens' use. 

Brush Disposal Program

A privately operated brush disposal site is available for residents to dispose of yard waste. State law bans the disposal of yard waste in Wisconsin landfills, and the county must enforce this ban. The county is not required to provide yard waste collection or drop-off facilities. 

Current Planning

Rezoning and Conditional Use Permits Staff Reports and Recommendations

Public hearings must be held before approving or denying rezoning petitions or conditional use permit applications.  Under this program, staff reports assessing rezoning petitions and conditional use permits are prepared and presented at public hearings. The reports evaluate whether or not requests are consistent with the purpose of the zoning ordinance and other applicable zoning provisions.  Staff reports are not required, but the county must conduct public hearings for rezoning petitions and conditional use permit applications in accordance with state law, and findings for approval or denial must cite how they are consistent or inconsistent with the zoning code.  Fees charged for petitions and applications cover the costs associated with preparing staff reports.

Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) Planning

This program involves the annual updating of a regional economic development plan formerly know as the Overall Economic Development Plan (OEDP).  Staff works with the county CEDS committee, which convenes once a year to draw up a list of economic development projects from throughout the county to include in this multi-county plan.  The list is forwarded to the West Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission, which prepares the CEDS Plan.  Projects included in this plan may be eligible for funding programs available through the Economic Development Administration of the U.S. Department of Commerce.  The county is not obligated to participate in this program.  

Local Government Planning Assistance

Under this program, the Planning Division provides research assistance on planning issues of concern to local jurisdictions, and serves as a clearinghouse for information on most planning related matters including land use, economic development, housing, conservation and preservation of natural resources, outdoor recreation, transportation and demographics.  Assistance provided has included compiling information, analyzing information and offering recommendations, assisting jurisdictions with planning procedures, and preparing land use plans.  When comprehensive plans have been completed in accordance with requirements under Wisconsin's "Smart Growth" law, there may be more requests for assistance under this program.  Eau Claire County is not required to provide planning assistance to local jurisdictions.  This program is supported by the tax levy. 

Farmland Preservation Planning

The Eau Claire County Farmland Preservation Plan was adopted in October, 1983, to implement the Farmland Preservation Program in Eau Claire County.  Implementing the Farmland Preservation Program is a discretionary decision that provides farmers with eligibility for tax credits.  The county is required to maintain an up-to-date plan so that farmers in Eau Claire County can maintain their eligibility for tax credits under the Farmland Preservation Program. The most recent update was approved by the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) and the Eau Claire County Board of Supervisors in 2015.

Special Planning (Outdoor recreation, neighborhood, census)

The planning division is called upon to conduct research and formulate recommendations for a wide variety of topics under this program, as needed or as time permits.  Updating the Eau Claire County Outdoor Recreation Plan every 5 years is a routine task of this program, providing the county with continuing eligibility for state and federal funding programs.  Other projects include the following:  drafting a neighborhood plan for the Exposition Center/Lowes Creek County Park neighborhood; preparing office layout scenarios for reconfiguration of the Personnel/Finance/Purchasing Department's offices; annually updating census boundary maps for the U.S. Census Bureau.  The county has no obligation to perform these tasks except for selected responsibilities during the decennial census. 

Regional Planning Commission

West Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission (WCWRPC) is supported by Eau Claire County.  This agency provides the following services for the county:  annual updates of the county economic and population profile; transportation planning for the county for all transportation modes (auto, rail, air, pedestrian, bicycle) through the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO); administration of economic development loan programs for existing and new businesses in the county; annual update of the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) Plan; assistance to county jurisdictions in securing funding for public works projects.  The agency also provides other planning services on a contractual basis.  The county is not required to support WCWRPC.  Funding for this agency comes from the county's general fund. 

WCWRPC