Last week, the Oneida county board voted to oppose a change in state shoreland zoning rules put into the budget debate. Tuesday, the Vilas county board did the same thing.
The motion approved by the state budget writing Joint Finance Committee would greatly reduce the ability of local governments, mostly counties, from having shoreland rules stronger than state minimums.
The Wisconsin Counties Association and other groups have come out strongly against the change. Some opposed the change on environmental grounds, others because it was a non-budget item put into the budget bill without going through the normal public review process.
Proponents, including State Senator Tom Tiffany, said the change would bring greater uniformity to shoreland regulations. Opponents say it's a back door way to allow for greater building density on Wisconsin waters and potentially dirtier waters.
Oneida county voted 14-4 last week to oppose the change. Tuesday, the Vilas county board voted 18-1 to oppose the motion in the budget bill. Insiders say removing the motion from the bill is 50-50 at this point.
