Plan Commission — Minutes

Regular June Plan Commission Meeting June 9th, 2025 5:00 PM The meeting was posted at the Bayfield Town Hall and Town website on June 4th, 2025. Plan Commission members Chuck Finn, Robert Meierotto, Jim Steffenson, and Robert Feyen were in attendance. Annalisa Bermel and Carol Fahrenkrog were excused. Chairman Chuck Finn called the meeting to order at 5:00 PM. Public Comment: Ted May- resident of the Apostle Highlands, reported that he is in favor of extending the Pike’s Bay Sanitary District boundaries but not in favor of reducing them. He is not in favor of picking properties to remove from the district. Communications and Correspondence: Discussion took place about a letter received from Dennis Clark announcing his resignation as a Plan Commission member. A motion was made by Feyen, seconded by Meierotto, to accept the letter of resignation. Motion carried. Discussion and possible approval of minutes of Regular May Town Board Meeting of May 6th, 2025: Clerk Faye requested tabling approval of the May minutes until the July 14th meeting. A motion was made by Meierotto, seconded by Steffenson, to approve tabling the May minutes. Motion carried. Update from Bayfield Area Trails Committee: None. Old Business Discussion and possible recommendation to Bayfield Town Board on the option to change the Pikes Bay Sanitary District Boundaries: Discussion took place about the boundaries. Steffenson stated that even waste from septic and holding tanks that is pumped out gets processed at the Sanitary Plant, so everyone is benefitting some. If just the users pay, there will need to be a creative way to do that. He asked what is sustainable as well as fair for everyone. Feyen commented that the district isn’t fair and he has always thought they need to make it more sustainable. The Bayfield Area is the only community that doesn’t have sewage entering the lake and it should stay that way. Meierotto commented that he doesn’t know what the answer is. Finn said that he lives in the Sanitary District but does not receive service. He invested in his own home system. He values keeping the lake clean. He is in favor of an expanded town-wide district but with a two-tier payment system with one for those that are connected to the PBSD system and those that are not. There could also be a ratio that takes into account whether a landowner has invested in a holding tank/septic system. Meierotto commented that taxes should not be assessed on property owners if PBSD has the money already. Steffenson suggested that the PBSD Board of Directors should include members from each of the proposed tiers. He likes the two-tier proposal. Craig Johnson, resident of Valley Road, was present that he would like the arrangement to be fair to landowners. A motion was made by Steffenson, seconded by Meierotto, to recommend to the Town Board that the Pike’s Bay Sanitary District have town- wide Commissioner representation, and that the district be expanded to allow for town-wide taxation using a two-tiered payment system with higher charges for those that are connected to the Pike’s Bay Sanitary District system. Motion carried. Update on Bayfield County Zoning Code Re-Write Advisory Committee and request for Town of Bayfield representation: Chairman Finn stated that he expressed interest in being part of the committee by letter and email and has not been invited to participate. Concerns were shared about the lack of Town of Bayfield representation on the committee. He brought up a Special Zoning Meeting coming up related to this topic. He encouraged those that are able to attend. New Business Discussion and recommendation to Bayfield Town Board on Conditional Use Permit application (after-the-fact) from Brian and Nancy Siska for a second residence (garage apartment) on 10-acres, zoned Ag-1, located at 86890 Oak Ridge Heights, Tax ID #6096: Discussion took place about the original purpose of the apartment and the fact that the kitchen included is really just a sink. Finn suggested that the application should be approved but that the apartment should not be allowed to be a Short-Term Rental. Feyen and others agreed with the suggested condition. A motion was made by Meierotto, seconded by Feyen, to recommend that the Town Board recommend that the Bayfield County Zoning Department approve the application with the condition that it not be allowed to be used as a Short-Term Rental. Motion carried. Discussion and possible recommendation to Bayfield Town Board related to filling open Plan Commission position for remainder of term: It was reported that John Thiel has expressed interest in participating in the Plan Commission at times in the past. He was contacted about the current vacancy and said he is unable to do so at this time. Jamie Paterson stated that he would serve on the Commission if nobody else was interested. It was suggested that the Town Board look for other town residents that might be interested at this time. Adjourn: A motion was made by Meierotto, seconded by Steffenson, to adjourn the meeting. Meeting adjourned at 5:50 PM. Minutes respectfully presented by: Kelly Faye, Clerk