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Rhinelander Council Opposes State Zoning Change

The Rhinelander city council Monday night sent a message to the Wisconsin legislature about giving state towns more leverage.

Bills in the legislature would put a crimp on municipalities' ability to annex property. It's part of changing rules concerning county development plans. A plan currently must be adopted by a city or village. The new legislation would change that. But the bills also give more power to towns to fight off annexation by cities as outlined by council member Alex Young...

?"...the towns association has been pushing hard in the legislature to give towns the same rights as cities without the same responsibilities. Where it affects us in around the borders of the city where we could possibly look at exanding or annexing territory or things along those lines...."

If the bill had passed by this time, Young said the PrintPak project on the city's far east side could have been affected. The annexation of land for the Northwood Golf Course also could have been affected.

The council voted unanimously to oppose changing the legislation giving towns more leverage. Both Senator Tom Tiffany and Representative Rob Swearingen co-sponsored the bill in those chambers.

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