The staff supporting the review committee’s work  updated all of the following sections from the 2006 county plan. Tables and charts were updated using the latest census data and data from other sources.  When available the data was broken down to the municipality level to aid municipalities in their reviews.

Volume 1: Comprehensive Plan Background Document December 2016 FINAL

Volume 2: Comprehensive Plan Vision & Goals December 2016 Final

Volume 3: Farmland Preservation Plan December 2016 Final

• APPENDIX 3: A – Agricultural Land Use Survey
• APPENDIX 3: B – Prime Farmland Soils Map
• APPENDIX 3: C – Prime Farmland Soils Table
• APPENDIX 3: D – Basins and Watersheds
• APPENDIX 3: E – Trout Streams
• APPENDIX 3: F – Lakes, Ponds and Springs
• APPENDIX 3: G – Wisconsin Natural Heritage Inventory
• APPENDIX 3: H – Farmland Preservation Area Maps
• APPENDIX 3: I – DATCP Certification and County Ordinance Adoption

Funded by the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Office for Coastal Management under the Coastal Zone Management Act, Grant # NA15NOS4190094.

• 2006 Ashland County Comprehensive Plan Background Document
• 2006 Ashland County Comprehensive Plan Policy Document
• Ashland County Level Citizen 2004 Survey Findings Report

The Center for Land Use Education at UW Stevens Point has a wide range of resources for developing and updating comprehensive plans.

The Wisconsin State Legislature website has the State Statute on Comprehensive Planning. 66.1001.

Surveys are a good method of getting input from a cross section of municipality citizens.  For those municipalities interested in conducting a survey as part of their review process, we provide several resources and examples below.  During the original comprehensive planning process in Ashland County a community survey was conducted and the Ashland County Level Citizen 2004 Survey Findings Report, a PDF, shows the results.

The UW River Falls Survey Research Center has helped dozens of communities conduct surveys as part of their comprehensive plans.  The reports are linked on the page and can be viewed in their entirety. Usually the original survey is included in the report toward the end or as an appendix.

In addition to the examples on the UWRF site we selected a few other examples that may help you decide what questions you’d like to ask.  As you’ll see the length of these surveys varies widely depending on the needs/interests of the municipality.

Those examples are here:

• Town of LaPointe Survey (survey results below under Municipality Plans)
• South Franklin_Survey
• Medford_Survey
• Enfield_Survey
• Christiansburg_Survey
• Ashford_Survey
• Alden_Survey

If you’d like assistance in developing a community survey, contact the Ashland County UW- Extension Office.

Town of LaPointe

• 2014 Comprehensive Plan Update Town of LaPointe
• 2014 Town of La Pointe Community Survey Report Compiled

Town of Morse

• Initial Results Town of Morse 2016 Community Survey
• Town of Morse Community Survey 8-10-2016 Public Meeting Presentation

Meetings of the County Comprehensive Plan Review committee were open meetings and a public comment opportunity was on each agenda near the beginning of the meeting.

The comprehensive plan law states that plans should be reviewed at least every ten years. (See the link to the state statutes above).

The law is a little vague on the specifics of the ten year review.  The county committee is reviewing updated background documents prepared by Ashland County UW-Extension and then reviewing and updating each of the goals, objectives and action steps in the Policy Document of the plan. Once complete the county will schedule a public hearing prior to creating a final plan and adopting the plan at a County Board of Supervisors meeting.

We’ve been told that there are three typical options for the review that include:

• Option 1. Write an entirely new plan.
• Option 2. Selectively update the old plan.
• Option 3. Prepare a plan addendum.

For any amendments to the existing plan it appears procedures similar to that used with the original plan are required, including:

• A written public participation plan that is approved by resolution.
• At least one public hearing on a proposed ordinance to adopt amendments.
• A class 1 notice of the public hearing.

For municipalities we suggest you review the statute and check with your corp council or professional association – ie the Wisconsin Towns Association or League of Municipalities. You will also find some guidance on the Center For Land Use (CLUE) web site linked above.

Funds are very limited at this time.

The UW-Extension office can provide limited assistance with things like developing a community survey.  They are also updating all the background documents with 2010 census data and other more current data.  When those drafts are updated they will be available here on this web site.  The background documents for municipalities in the 2006 plans were very similar to each other and the county’s, so these updates should meet most of the municipality’s needs. (With the exception of the City of Ashland, which used a different consultant).