ECWRPC undergoing some restructuring

The East Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission is undergoing some restructuring, but for it to proceed, it needs the blessing of its participants.

The Shawano County Board of Supervisors did its part May 25 by approving a resolution that will continue to have three representatives on the planning commission but takes out some red tape on how one of those members is appointed.

Currently, each county in the ECWRPC has one member that must be appointed by the governor. According to Melissa Kraemer-Badtke, the commission’s executive director, it can be very difficult to get the governor’s office to move quickly on appointments, leaving some counties without adequate representation.

Under the proposal, the county board chairman and two other supervisors would sit on the commission for Shawano County. Eight counties are represented in the ECWRPC, and the commission currently has 36 members, according to Kraemer-Badtke, with larger counties getting more seats, but the commission will be reducing the total number of members.

“Board composition cannot be modified without resolutions from a majority of the local units of government in the region with a majority of the population,” Kraemer-Badtke said.

Shawano County Board Chairman Tom Kautza sponsored the resolution, explaining that time was a factor, and putting the process through a committee would have slowed things down.

“That’s the way the other counties are doing it in the state,” Kautza said.

Kautza agreed that taking the state government out of the equation was the way to go.

“We thought, what’s the use to keep struggling to find people to fill that and run that process through to Madison,” Kautza said. “We don’t lose a member. Our membership will remain the same.”

Currently, Kautza and Shawano County Supervisor Steve Gueths sit on the commission, along with Chuck Dallas, the gubernatorial appointee. Kautza noted that Dallas’ term is coming to an end, and he declined to offer any recommendations to the governor’s office, knowing that the restructuring was in progress.

“It’s definitely a good thing to do,” Kautza said.

Supervisor Jerry Erdmann, the former county board chairman, agreed with Kautza’s view.

“They go above and beyond and help the counties out,” Erdmann said. “What we pay is minimal for the services they provide. This plan, the way it is now, in my mind, is the best one I’ve seen so far. With downsizing but Shawano County staying the same, how can we lose?”

However, counties giving their approval are only the first step. Municipal governments will also be asked to give their approval, so the Shawano Common Council and town and village boards in the county will be asked to offer their own resolutions.

Besides the reorganization of the commission structure, ECWRPC also wants to shift its focus to look closer at some key issues, including transportation, economic development and water quality management.

lpulaski@newmedia-wi.com