MONROE - The county board is not including money in its 2016 budget for a hydrogeological study that could shed light on possible effects of a proposed large-scale dairy farm on local groundwater. But the county board was clear that it could consider such a request in the coming year.
About 30 people attended a public hearing on the proposed 2016 Green County budget on Tuesday night. While a budget hearing is often a mere formality, opponents of the proposed dairy in Decatur township, with backing from the local chapter of the Wisconsin Farmer's Union, used the hearing to ask county supervisors to invest in a hydrogeological study.
Peg Scheaffer of Brodhead said a University of Wisconsin study would cost between $40,000 and $100,000. While the Department of Natural Resources has maps that show an area's susceptibility to groundwater contamination, the UW offers maps that are much more precise.
The immediate concern is finding out how groundwater could be impacted by a large-scale animal operation, but the study would be "useful in many different context for many years to come," she said.
Jen Riemer, who owns land adjacent to the proposed dairy, said the Defending Our Farmland has garnered 2,700 signatures on a petition against the operation with up to 5,800 cows proposed at Decatur-Sylvester Road and County FF. The owners of the proposed operation, who operate a similar facility in Rock County, failed to submit all required application materials before Sylvester Township passed a six-month moratorium on large-scale operations in order to buy additional time to study the effects of a concentrated animal feeding operation, called a CAFO.
The groundwater study would provide additional insight, opponents said.
"We just need to know more," Riemer said.
Kim Hunter, who lives on Franklin Road, is concerned the dairy's proposed spraying of liquid manure poses a risk of ruin for her 13-acre goat farm. The limestone under this area of Wisconsin is "just like a big sponge" and is "riddled with sinkholes and caves." This porous foundation allows contaminants to travel a great distance, potentially spreading disease.
She also questioned the farm's plan to spray manure along both sides of the Cheese Country Trail, wondering if it would hurt the allure of the scenic recreational route.
The study would provide "peace of mind" that the groundwater is safe, supported by "solid science," for the cost of less than $3 per Green County resident, Monticello farmer Jacob Marty pointed out.
The board took no action to amend its 2016 proposed budget to include money for the study. But that doesn't mean the county board can't look at funding it in the future.
"Money doesn't have to be allocated in the budget," said Corporation Counsel Brian Bucholtz. The county board can vote at any time to pay for the study from its undesignated general fund, which is "basically a rainy day fund," he said, adding the account has about $4.4 million.
Board chairman Art Carter asked the land conservation committee to look further at a groundwater study. If the committee deems the study warranted, it could bring a recommendation back to the full county board.
Supervisor Gordon Klossner made a motion to change all payroll raises in the budget from 1 percent to zero percent; the motion died for lack of a second.
The board unanimously approved the budget as previously presented, with includes a tax levy of $17.8 million for next year. The 2016 levy, the maximum amount allowed under state's levy limit, is up about $165,000 from 2015. That represents an increase of 1.11 percent.
The county will used $2.4 million in money collected in sales taxes in 2014 and 2015, along with $356,000 from the general fund, to reduce the net levy to just more than $15 million.
A 2.54-percent increase in property values throughout the county will help offset the bump up in tax levy. The tax rate will be $5.658 per thousand of equalized value, down from last year's rate of $5.738. This means the owner of a $100,000 home will pay $565.80 in county taxes next year, while the owner of a $200,000 home will pay $1,131.60. For 2015, those tax bills would have been $573.80 and $1,147.60, respectively.
About 30 people attended a public hearing on the proposed 2016 Green County budget on Tuesday night. While a budget hearing is often a mere formality, opponents of the proposed dairy in Decatur township, with backing from the local chapter of the Wisconsin Farmer's Union, used the hearing to ask county supervisors to invest in a hydrogeological study.
Peg Scheaffer of Brodhead said a University of Wisconsin study would cost between $40,000 and $100,000. While the Department of Natural Resources has maps that show an area's susceptibility to groundwater contamination, the UW offers maps that are much more precise.
The immediate concern is finding out how groundwater could be impacted by a large-scale animal operation, but the study would be "useful in many different context for many years to come," she said.
Jen Riemer, who owns land adjacent to the proposed dairy, said the Defending Our Farmland has garnered 2,700 signatures on a petition against the operation with up to 5,800 cows proposed at Decatur-Sylvester Road and County FF. The owners of the proposed operation, who operate a similar facility in Rock County, failed to submit all required application materials before Sylvester Township passed a six-month moratorium on large-scale operations in order to buy additional time to study the effects of a concentrated animal feeding operation, called a CAFO.
The groundwater study would provide additional insight, opponents said.
"We just need to know more," Riemer said.
Kim Hunter, who lives on Franklin Road, is concerned the dairy's proposed spraying of liquid manure poses a risk of ruin for her 13-acre goat farm. The limestone under this area of Wisconsin is "just like a big sponge" and is "riddled with sinkholes and caves." This porous foundation allows contaminants to travel a great distance, potentially spreading disease.
She also questioned the farm's plan to spray manure along both sides of the Cheese Country Trail, wondering if it would hurt the allure of the scenic recreational route.
The study would provide "peace of mind" that the groundwater is safe, supported by "solid science," for the cost of less than $3 per Green County resident, Monticello farmer Jacob Marty pointed out.
The board took no action to amend its 2016 proposed budget to include money for the study. But that doesn't mean the county board can't look at funding it in the future.
"Money doesn't have to be allocated in the budget," said Corporation Counsel Brian Bucholtz. The county board can vote at any time to pay for the study from its undesignated general fund, which is "basically a rainy day fund," he said, adding the account has about $4.4 million.
Board chairman Art Carter asked the land conservation committee to look further at a groundwater study. If the committee deems the study warranted, it could bring a recommendation back to the full county board.
Supervisor Gordon Klossner made a motion to change all payroll raises in the budget from 1 percent to zero percent; the motion died for lack of a second.
The board unanimously approved the budget as previously presented, with includes a tax levy of $17.8 million for next year. The 2016 levy, the maximum amount allowed under state's levy limit, is up about $165,000 from 2015. That represents an increase of 1.11 percent.
The county will used $2.4 million in money collected in sales taxes in 2014 and 2015, along with $356,000 from the general fund, to reduce the net levy to just more than $15 million.
A 2.54-percent increase in property values throughout the county will help offset the bump up in tax levy. The tax rate will be $5.658 per thousand of equalized value, down from last year's rate of $5.738. This means the owner of a $100,000 home will pay $565.80 in county taxes next year, while the owner of a $200,000 home will pay $1,131.60. For 2015, those tax bills would have been $573.80 and $1,147.60, respectively.