As many of have probably learned by now, at the January meeting of the Spring Prairie Planning Commission, by a 3 to 2 vote, the Planning Commission approved the rezone, conditional use permit and the certified survey map for the proposed gravel pit on Highway 120. Acknowledging that the Planning Commission vote was advisory only, and not incumbent on the Town Board to accept, the Board, at its February 10 monthly meeting, unanimously voted to deny the project in its entirety. The issue now passes on to Walworth County which is scheduled to take it up at its February 20 County Zoning Agency meeting. Residents who wish to express their thoughts regarding this issue should address their correspondence to Land Use and Resource Management (LURM), P.O. Box 1001, Room 222, Elkhorn, WI 53121, or email [email protected].
At the same meeting, the Town Board voted to approve the Non-Metallic Mining Ordinance which, while unable to totally ban future mining proposals, puts more power in the hands of the Board to determine if such proposals are in the best interests of the Town in terms of health, safety, noise, pollution, traffic, impact on property values and on the overall quality of life of Spring Prairie residents.
In about a month, the U.S. Census Bureau will begin sending out notices to individual homes with instructions on how to fill out the upcoming 2020 census forms. While some may feel it is a governmental intrusion and waste of time, the census is extremely important to the town, the county and the state because the data collected provides the basis for the distribution of federal funds that have an impact on housing, education, employment, healthcare and public policy. Results also determine how many seats a state will have in the House of Representatives as well as how state and local districts are drawn.
In short, your responses help determine our representation in government and our ability to plan for the future. Wisconsin’s estimated loss in federal funding is over $1,300 per year for each person not counted! The form is short and simple and can be filled out in a very brief amount of time. It is vitally important you take the time to fill it out because it will serve to affect our future for the decade to come.