I’m thinking maybe its time to develop a more innovative Website. There are a couple of website solutions available on the market, designed specifically for smaller municipalities. These turnkey solutions allow cities, villages and towns to maintain a professional website and a user friendly Content Management System.
The site should feature:
1. One Sub Domain (ex: wi-lake mills.ci.lake-mills.wi.us.gov)
2. Site setup – the new website should be up and running in just a few short weeks, ready for training and modifying the site content.
3. Personalized Banner – Banner will include the name of the city, city seal and logo.
4. Slideshow setup for the homepage – up to 6 slides
5. Pre-populated menus and pages--all the content need to get started with a new website that is already included. After training it is easy to begin making modifications to that content to best suit the city’s purposes and needs.
6. 15 Hours of Online Phone Training– Using the train-the-trainer approach, there will receive in depth training and consulting on the following: Basic Page Administration, Basic System Administration, Basic Module Administration & Use, and Advanced Module Administration & Use.
7. Unlimited Access to the Training Library, which includes videos, online training courses, webinars, step-by-step manuals and more.
8. Hosting, Backup, Disaster Recovery, Maintenance and Upgrades is included with the ongoing service package. PLUS, unlimited access to a support team from 7AM to 7PM for one point of contact.
9. Modules included – Newsflash, Event Calendar, Staff Directory, Notify Me, FAQs, QuickLinks, Opinion Poll, Document Center, and Archive Center.
*Please see the Modules document for descriptions of these features.
These systems will have a cost – but I think it’s time we took the leap.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Da Council
John Nalbandian states that the idea of council-manager government is that political and administrative realms can be in partnership and not dependent on the system of checks and balances that characterize our state and federal governments, where separation of legislative and executive powers is valued. The relationship between the manager and the elected officials sets a tone for the entire local government. Although some elected officials shy away from acknowledging a team or partner relationship between and among members of council and between the council and the staff, it is critical that the professional manager prepares the council for its work.
Unfortunately, substantial real impediments frequently exist which diminish effective city council involvement in all stages of a decision. These include, among others, departments, agencies or semi-independent agencies financed and/or sanctioned by state and federal laws. In addition, there is almost always a large time span over which projects or issues may extend, resulting in numerous changes in the composition of the decision-making body or a change in attitude of the citizenry or even a change in need for the project or service itself which can hamper effective decision-making.
The city’s citizen culture is relative to the general national culture of individual independence and this tends to hamper cooperation. The “organizational” culture originally seemed to have been defined by a City Manager who had also served as the Clerk-Treasurer in the 80’s and 90’s. The manager felt all staff were incompetent and that they should not spend a penny or make a decision unless approved by the manager. It seems that this led staff from the top of the organization to the bottom to treat the public as if they are out to rip-off the city and they had to defend every penny to the death. The council also seemed to expect staff to unrealistically deliver high levels of service to the citizenry while spending less money. Staff became paranoid and tried to avoid doing anything other than minimal maintenance. This did and in some cases still does dominate the interactions between the council, staff and the public. The city infrastructure deteriorated substantially in the 70’s, 80’s and early 90’s because of these dysfunction organizational interactions. One of the other ways this manifested itself was that copying of all agenda participants with information rather than just council members and senior staff was considered an unnecessary expense.
Still, one of the biggest problems is the difference in perspective between council and staff—differences that are often difficult to understand because while council and the staff are using the same words, they speak different languages. This means that staff can only help prepare the council for its work, but the council is responsible for providing overall leadership for the local government by enacting laws and providing policy for allocating resources for programs, services, and activities, and the council bears the main responsibility for building its own knowledge capacity and communication channels. The council goal should be a partnership with each other and staff. The city manager must work to provide a cooperative and friendly organizational culture that desires to work with the council.[1]
1 Julia Novak and John Nalbandian, Preparing Councils for Their Work. PM Magazine. August 2009.
Unfortunately, substantial real impediments frequently exist which diminish effective city council involvement in all stages of a decision. These include, among others, departments, agencies or semi-independent agencies financed and/or sanctioned by state and federal laws. In addition, there is almost always a large time span over which projects or issues may extend, resulting in numerous changes in the composition of the decision-making body or a change in attitude of the citizenry or even a change in need for the project or service itself which can hamper effective decision-making.
The city’s citizen culture is relative to the general national culture of individual independence and this tends to hamper cooperation. The “organizational” culture originally seemed to have been defined by a City Manager who had also served as the Clerk-Treasurer in the 80’s and 90’s. The manager felt all staff were incompetent and that they should not spend a penny or make a decision unless approved by the manager. It seems that this led staff from the top of the organization to the bottom to treat the public as if they are out to rip-off the city and they had to defend every penny to the death. The council also seemed to expect staff to unrealistically deliver high levels of service to the citizenry while spending less money. Staff became paranoid and tried to avoid doing anything other than minimal maintenance. This did and in some cases still does dominate the interactions between the council, staff and the public. The city infrastructure deteriorated substantially in the 70’s, 80’s and early 90’s because of these dysfunction organizational interactions. One of the other ways this manifested itself was that copying of all agenda participants with information rather than just council members and senior staff was considered an unnecessary expense.
Still, one of the biggest problems is the difference in perspective between council and staff—differences that are often difficult to understand because while council and the staff are using the same words, they speak different languages. This means that staff can only help prepare the council for its work, but the council is responsible for providing overall leadership for the local government by enacting laws and providing policy for allocating resources for programs, services, and activities, and the council bears the main responsibility for building its own knowledge capacity and communication channels. The council goal should be a partnership with each other and staff. The city manager must work to provide a cooperative and friendly organizational culture that desires to work with the council.[1]
1 Julia Novak and John Nalbandian, Preparing Councils for Their Work. PM Magazine. August 2009.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Council Actions Reflect Attitude
All Council Members should:
· Demonstrate honesty and integrity in every action and statement
· Serve as a model of leadership and civility to the community
· Inspire public confidence in government
· Work for the common good, not personal interest
· Prepare in advance of Council meetings and be familiar with issues on the agenda
· Fully participate in City Council meetings and other public forums while demonstrating respect, kindness, consideration, and courtesy to others
· Participate in scheduled activities to increase Council effectiveness
· Review Council procedures, such as these Council Protocols, at least annually
· Be responsible for the highest standards of respect, civility and honesty in ensuring the effective maintenance of intergovernmental relations
· Respect the proper roles of elected officials and City staff in ensuring open and effective government
· Provide contact information to the City Clerk in case an emergency or urgent situation arises while the Council Member is out of town
· Demonstrate honesty and integrity in every action and statement
· Serve as a model of leadership and civility to the community
· Inspire public confidence in government
· Work for the common good, not personal interest
· Prepare in advance of Council meetings and be familiar with issues on the agenda
· Fully participate in City Council meetings and other public forums while demonstrating respect, kindness, consideration, and courtesy to others
· Participate in scheduled activities to increase Council effectiveness
· Review Council procedures, such as these Council Protocols, at least annually
· Be responsible for the highest standards of respect, civility and honesty in ensuring the effective maintenance of intergovernmental relations
· Respect the proper roles of elected officials and City staff in ensuring open and effective government
· Provide contact information to the City Clerk in case an emergency or urgent situation arises while the Council Member is out of town
Monday, July 27, 2009
PERCEIVED OR REVEALED REALITY
People have difficulty differentiating between perceived reality and revealed reality. Perceived reality differs from revealed reality for a number of reasons. The most obvious is that perceived reality relies on what people say or feel and revealed reality relies on scientific fact. The life of Galileo is a prime case of people selecting a perceived reality over a revealed reality.
In 1609, Galileo heard about the invention of the spyglass, a device which made distant objects appear closer. Galileo used his mathematics knowledge and technical skills to improve upon the spyglass and build a telescope. Later that same year, he became the first person to look at the moon through a telescope and make his first astronomy discovery. He found that the moon was not smooth, but mountainous and pitted. He used his recently invented telescope to discover four of the moons circling Jupiter, to study Saturn, to observe the phases of Venus, and to study sunspots on the Sun.
Galileo's observations strengthened his belief in Copernicus' theory that Earth and all other planets revolve around the sun. Most people in Galileo's time believed that the Earth was the center of the Universe and that the sun and planets revolved around it.
In December of 1613, Galileo received a letter from Father Castelli, a close friend of his and a fellow astronomer. Castelli had recently dined with the royal family of Tuscany, and he reported how the Grand Duchess Christina had criticized the heliocentric theory for its repudiation of Holy Scripture. Galileo fired back a letter to his friend that would later be published, with the author's permission, across Italy. In it, he declared that scriptural literalism had no place in scientific inquiry. "Inasmuch as the Bible calls for an interpretation differing from the immediate sense of the words," he wrote, "it seems to me that as an authority in mathematical controversy it has very little standing... I believe that natural processes which we perceive by careful observation or deduce by cogent demonstration cannot be refuted by passages from the Bible."
The Catholic Church, which was very powerful and influential in Galileo's day, strongly supported the theory of a geocentric, or Earth-centered, Universe. After Galileo began publishing papers about his astronomy discoveries and his belief in a heliocentric, or sun-centered, Universe, he was called to Rome to answer charges brought against him by the Inquisition (the legal body of the Catholic Church). Early in 1616, Galileo was accused of being a heretic, a person who opposed Church teachings. Heresy was a crime for which people were sometimes sentenced to death. Galileo was cleared of charges of heresy, but was told that he should no longer publicly state his belief that the Earth moved around the sun. Galileo continued his study of astronomy and became more and more convinced that all planets revolved around the Sun. In 1632, he published a book that stated, among other things, that the heliocentric theory of Copernicus was correct. Galileo was once again called before the Inquisition and this time was found guilty of heresy. Galileo was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1633. His books, together with those of Copernicus and Kepler, were banned.
People were selecting the idea of a geocentric universe over a heliocentric universe or their perceived reality over Galileo’s revealed reality. They were using their perceived reality which was achieved through their common sense or by becoming aware of, knowing, or identifying by means of the senses. The earth was clearly not moving and daily you could see the sun revolved around the earth. Their interpretation of the Bible also re-enforced their knowledge.
Revealed reality used scientific methods to investigating the phenomena, acquiring new knowledge, or correcting and integrating previous knowledge. It used knowledge based on gathering observable, empirical and measurable evidence subject to specific principles of reasoning.
The discussion between perceived reality and revealed reality still occurs everyday regarding some issue.
In 1609, Galileo heard about the invention of the spyglass, a device which made distant objects appear closer. Galileo used his mathematics knowledge and technical skills to improve upon the spyglass and build a telescope. Later that same year, he became the first person to look at the moon through a telescope and make his first astronomy discovery. He found that the moon was not smooth, but mountainous and pitted. He used his recently invented telescope to discover four of the moons circling Jupiter, to study Saturn, to observe the phases of Venus, and to study sunspots on the Sun.
Galileo's observations strengthened his belief in Copernicus' theory that Earth and all other planets revolve around the sun. Most people in Galileo's time believed that the Earth was the center of the Universe and that the sun and planets revolved around it.
In December of 1613, Galileo received a letter from Father Castelli, a close friend of his and a fellow astronomer. Castelli had recently dined with the royal family of Tuscany, and he reported how the Grand Duchess Christina had criticized the heliocentric theory for its repudiation of Holy Scripture. Galileo fired back a letter to his friend that would later be published, with the author's permission, across Italy. In it, he declared that scriptural literalism had no place in scientific inquiry. "Inasmuch as the Bible calls for an interpretation differing from the immediate sense of the words," he wrote, "it seems to me that as an authority in mathematical controversy it has very little standing... I believe that natural processes which we perceive by careful observation or deduce by cogent demonstration cannot be refuted by passages from the Bible."
The Catholic Church, which was very powerful and influential in Galileo's day, strongly supported the theory of a geocentric, or Earth-centered, Universe. After Galileo began publishing papers about his astronomy discoveries and his belief in a heliocentric, or sun-centered, Universe, he was called to Rome to answer charges brought against him by the Inquisition (the legal body of the Catholic Church). Early in 1616, Galileo was accused of being a heretic, a person who opposed Church teachings. Heresy was a crime for which people were sometimes sentenced to death. Galileo was cleared of charges of heresy, but was told that he should no longer publicly state his belief that the Earth moved around the sun. Galileo continued his study of astronomy and became more and more convinced that all planets revolved around the Sun. In 1632, he published a book that stated, among other things, that the heliocentric theory of Copernicus was correct. Galileo was once again called before the Inquisition and this time was found guilty of heresy. Galileo was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1633. His books, together with those of Copernicus and Kepler, were banned.
People were selecting the idea of a geocentric universe over a heliocentric universe or their perceived reality over Galileo’s revealed reality. They were using their perceived reality which was achieved through their common sense or by becoming aware of, knowing, or identifying by means of the senses. The earth was clearly not moving and daily you could see the sun revolved around the earth. Their interpretation of the Bible also re-enforced their knowledge.
Revealed reality used scientific methods to investigating the phenomena, acquiring new knowledge, or correcting and integrating previous knowledge. It used knowledge based on gathering observable, empirical and measurable evidence subject to specific principles of reasoning.
The discussion between perceived reality and revealed reality still occurs everyday regarding some issue.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Changing Code?
Small wind energy conversion system (SWECS) means a wind energy conversion system consisting of a wind turbine, a tower, and associated control or conversion electronics, which has a rated capacity of not more than 10 kW and which is intended to primarily reduce on-site consumption of utility power. This equipment includes any base, blade, foundation, generator, nacelle, rotor, tower, transformer, vane, wire, inverter, batteries or other component used in the system. The City of Lake Mills may soon modify the code in the following fashion.
(a) A SWECS shall be permitted as a conditional use in all zoning districts subject to the following requirements:
(1) Number. Only one (1) SWECS shall be permitted per property regardless of the number of dwelling units or tenants.
(2) Location.
a. A SWECS shall be prohibited from being located in front of the building setback line or in front of the principal building on a property.
b. SWECS setback shall comply with the yard areas established for principal structures for each zoning district.
c. The SWECS shall be located such that its fall zone plus five (5) feet will be located entirely on the permitted property in the event of collapse or other structural failure.
(3) Tower Construction. All towers for a SWECS shall be a single monopole type constructed without guy wires or ground anchors. Guyed towers and lattice towers are expressly prohibited. All towers shall be structurally designed to withstand 100mph winds and handle loads imparted. (4) Height, Blade Length, Turbine Capacity. The total height of a SWECS shall be measured as the vertical distance from ground level to the tip of a wind generator blade when the tip is at its highest point.
(5) Blades and Clearance. Protected blades shall be used if a SWECS is installed on a rooftop or if located within twelve (12) feet of a structure. A minimum vertical blade clearance of fifteen (15) feet shall be required from grade or rooftops.
(6) Access. All ground mounted electrical and control equipment shall be labeled or secured to prevent unauthorized access. The tower shall be designed and installed so as to not provide step bolts or a ladder readily accessible to the public for a minimum height of eight (8) feet above the ground.
(7) Electrical Wires. SWECS including tower shall comply with all applicable state construction and electrical codes, and the National Electrical Code. All electrical wires associated with a SWECS, other than wires necessary to connect the wind generator to the tower wiring, the tower wiring to the disconnect junction box, and the grounding wires shall be located underground. All wires and connections shall be wholly located on the subjects property, and in no case shall connections to multiple detached structures be permitted.
(8) Lighting. A wind tower and generator shall not be artificially illuminated unless such lighting is required by the Federal Aviation Administration.
(9) Appearance, Color, and Finish. The wind generator and tower shall remain painted or finished the color or finish that was originally applied by the manufacturer, unless approved in the building permit. Generally acceptable colors shall be muted or understated colors that are unobtrusive to surrounding properties, such as galvanized metal or earth tones.
(10)Signs. All signs, other than the manufacturer’s or installer’s identification, appropriate warning signs, or owner identification on a wind generator, tower, building, or other structure associated with a small wind energy system visible from any public road shall be prohibited.
(11)Noise And Shadow Flicker
a. Audible sound from a Wind Energy Facility shall not exceed twenty-five (25) dBA in residential districts or fifty (50) dBA in all other districts, as measured at the exterior of any occupied building on an adjacent or neighboring property. Methods for measuring and reporting acoustic emissions from Wind Turbines and the Wind Energy Facility shall be equal to or exceed the minimum standards for precision described in American Wind Energy Association Standard 2.1 - 1989 titled Procedures for the Measurement and Reporting of Acoustic Emissions from Wind Turbine Generation Systems Volume I: First Tier.
b. Low Frequency Harmonics. The SWECS shall be designed to avoid emitting low frequency harmonics that can be disruptive to neighboring properties.
c. The property owner and operator shall make reasonable efforts to minimize shadow flicker to any occupied building on an adjacent or neighboring property.
(12)Utility notification and interconnection. SWECS that connect to the electric utility shall comply with the Illinois Distributed Generation Interconnection Standard.
(13)Compliance with FAA Regulations: SWECS must comply with applicable FAA regulations, including any necessary approvals for installations close to airports/airstrips. If lighting is required by the FAA, a dual mode fixture/lamp shall be installed.
(14)Required Safety Features
a. All SWECS shall be designed with an automatic overspeed control to render the system inoperable when winds are blowing in excess of the speeds for which the machine is designed.
b. All SWECS shall have a manually operable method to render the system inoperable in the event of a structural or mechanical failure of any part of the system including the automatic overspeed control.
c. All SWECS shall be designed with an automatic control to render the system inoperable in case of loss of utility power to prevent the SWECS from supplying power to a de-energized electrical distribution system.
d. Any SWECS thereof declared to be unsafe by the Code Enforcement Department by reason of inadequate maintenance, dilapidation, obsolescence, fire hazard, disaster, damage or abandonment is hereby declared to be a public nuisance and shall be abated by repair, rehabilitation, demolition, or removal in accordance with the procedures set forth in the City of Lake Mills Code of Ordinances.
(a) A SWECS shall be permitted as a conditional use in all zoning districts subject to the following requirements:
(1) Number. Only one (1) SWECS shall be permitted per property regardless of the number of dwelling units or tenants.
(2) Location.
a. A SWECS shall be prohibited from being located in front of the building setback line or in front of the principal building on a property.
b. SWECS setback shall comply with the yard areas established for principal structures for each zoning district.
c. The SWECS shall be located such that its fall zone plus five (5) feet will be located entirely on the permitted property in the event of collapse or other structural failure.
(3) Tower Construction. All towers for a SWECS shall be a single monopole type constructed without guy wires or ground anchors. Guyed towers and lattice towers are expressly prohibited. All towers shall be structurally designed to withstand 100mph winds and handle loads imparted. (4) Height, Blade Length, Turbine Capacity. The total height of a SWECS shall be measured as the vertical distance from ground level to the tip of a wind generator blade when the tip is at its highest point.
(5) Blades and Clearance. Protected blades shall be used if a SWECS is installed on a rooftop or if located within twelve (12) feet of a structure. A minimum vertical blade clearance of fifteen (15) feet shall be required from grade or rooftops.
(6) Access. All ground mounted electrical and control equipment shall be labeled or secured to prevent unauthorized access. The tower shall be designed and installed so as to not provide step bolts or a ladder readily accessible to the public for a minimum height of eight (8) feet above the ground.
(7) Electrical Wires. SWECS including tower shall comply with all applicable state construction and electrical codes, and the National Electrical Code. All electrical wires associated with a SWECS, other than wires necessary to connect the wind generator to the tower wiring, the tower wiring to the disconnect junction box, and the grounding wires shall be located underground. All wires and connections shall be wholly located on the subjects property, and in no case shall connections to multiple detached structures be permitted.
(8) Lighting. A wind tower and generator shall not be artificially illuminated unless such lighting is required by the Federal Aviation Administration.
(9) Appearance, Color, and Finish. The wind generator and tower shall remain painted or finished the color or finish that was originally applied by the manufacturer, unless approved in the building permit. Generally acceptable colors shall be muted or understated colors that are unobtrusive to surrounding properties, such as galvanized metal or earth tones.
(10)Signs. All signs, other than the manufacturer’s or installer’s identification, appropriate warning signs, or owner identification on a wind generator, tower, building, or other structure associated with a small wind energy system visible from any public road shall be prohibited.
(11)Noise And Shadow Flicker
a. Audible sound from a Wind Energy Facility shall not exceed twenty-five (25) dBA in residential districts or fifty (50) dBA in all other districts, as measured at the exterior of any occupied building on an adjacent or neighboring property. Methods for measuring and reporting acoustic emissions from Wind Turbines and the Wind Energy Facility shall be equal to or exceed the minimum standards for precision described in American Wind Energy Association Standard 2.1 - 1989 titled Procedures for the Measurement and Reporting of Acoustic Emissions from Wind Turbine Generation Systems Volume I: First Tier.
b. Low Frequency Harmonics. The SWECS shall be designed to avoid emitting low frequency harmonics that can be disruptive to neighboring properties.
c. The property owner and operator shall make reasonable efforts to minimize shadow flicker to any occupied building on an adjacent or neighboring property.
(12)Utility notification and interconnection. SWECS that connect to the electric utility shall comply with the Illinois Distributed Generation Interconnection Standard.
(13)Compliance with FAA Regulations: SWECS must comply with applicable FAA regulations, including any necessary approvals for installations close to airports/airstrips. If lighting is required by the FAA, a dual mode fixture/lamp shall be installed.
(14)Required Safety Features
a. All SWECS shall be designed with an automatic overspeed control to render the system inoperable when winds are blowing in excess of the speeds for which the machine is designed.
b. All SWECS shall have a manually operable method to render the system inoperable in the event of a structural or mechanical failure of any part of the system including the automatic overspeed control.
c. All SWECS shall be designed with an automatic control to render the system inoperable in case of loss of utility power to prevent the SWECS from supplying power to a de-energized electrical distribution system.
d. Any SWECS thereof declared to be unsafe by the Code Enforcement Department by reason of inadequate maintenance, dilapidation, obsolescence, fire hazard, disaster, damage or abandonment is hereby declared to be a public nuisance and shall be abated by repair, rehabilitation, demolition, or removal in accordance with the procedures set forth in the City of Lake Mills Code of Ordinances.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Alternative Energy and the Code Rewrite
There is a growing interest in the use of small scale wind power on residential properties nationwide. The City has now received several inquiries from property owners related to wind turbines, the City is in the process of reviewing our zoning codes regarding alternate energy. Staff had reviewed the issue with the hope of developing a city-wide perspective for appropriate amendments to the zoning code regarding the placement and use of alternative energy systems. The State and Courts keep the target moving and any codes will have to be flexible and easily changed.
Alternative energy is usually associated with renewable sources such as solar, wind, hydroelectricity, earth and biomass and often has the co-benefit of producing electricity or thermal energy without depleting valuable natural resources.
Given rising energy costs in comparison to personal income, the City is seeing increasing interest in renewable energy sources by residential, commercial and industrial uses within the corporate limits. The City needs to consider alternative energy development accommodations where the technology is viable and the environmental, economic and social impacts can be mitigated. Ultimately, our local plans and ordinances should help promote and encourage development of alternative energy sources in a manner that is consistent with our other goals and plans. The City will need to consider how to balance the conflicting environmental and economic issues of our zoning process when evaluating specific alternative energy proposals. These small-scale projects can provide a valuable contribution to the energy and environmental needs of our community and should not be rejected just because their outputs are small. The community needs to be engaged now in the planning process so that alternative energy development impacts can be minimized through careful consideration of location, scale, design and other measures.
The City’s ability to regulate alternative energy is set in Wis. Stat. §§66.0401, §§66.032 and Wis. Stat. §§66.0403 which addresses the authority of municipalities to regulate solar and wind energy systems. It limits the usual reach of the City’s authority to regulate for the health, safety, and public welfare by specifying three situations where regulation is allowed - when the regulation is to preserve or protect public health or safety, when it does not significantly impact the efficiency or cost of the solar or wind energy system, or when an alternative system of comparable cost and efficiency is available. At a minimum, several existing provisions of the City’s zoning code need to be amended to be consistent with state law and there also are other City ordinances that should be amended to better reflect current solar and wind energy technology.
Alternative energy is usually associated with renewable sources such as solar, wind, hydroelectricity, earth and biomass and often has the co-benefit of producing electricity or thermal energy without depleting valuable natural resources.
Given rising energy costs in comparison to personal income, the City is seeing increasing interest in renewable energy sources by residential, commercial and industrial uses within the corporate limits. The City needs to consider alternative energy development accommodations where the technology is viable and the environmental, economic and social impacts can be mitigated. Ultimately, our local plans and ordinances should help promote and encourage development of alternative energy sources in a manner that is consistent with our other goals and plans. The City will need to consider how to balance the conflicting environmental and economic issues of our zoning process when evaluating specific alternative energy proposals. These small-scale projects can provide a valuable contribution to the energy and environmental needs of our community and should not be rejected just because their outputs are small. The community needs to be engaged now in the planning process so that alternative energy development impacts can be minimized through careful consideration of location, scale, design and other measures.
The City’s ability to regulate alternative energy is set in Wis. Stat. §§66.0401, §§66.032 and Wis. Stat. §§66.0403 which addresses the authority of municipalities to regulate solar and wind energy systems. It limits the usual reach of the City’s authority to regulate for the health, safety, and public welfare by specifying three situations where regulation is allowed - when the regulation is to preserve or protect public health or safety, when it does not significantly impact the efficiency or cost of the solar or wind energy system, or when an alternative system of comparable cost and efficiency is available. At a minimum, several existing provisions of the City’s zoning code need to be amended to be consistent with state law and there also are other City ordinances that should be amended to better reflect current solar and wind energy technology.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Rock Lake Dam
Rock Lake is a natural drainage lake – there are a few inlets and one outlet. In 1865, a mill dam was constructed for the purposes of hydraulic power production. This mill ceased operation in 1933 and the mill property was sold to the City of Lake Mills in 1935. In 1945, the location of the dam was moved to the outlet of the millpond where it remains today. Over the years, there were some minor changes made to minimum and maximum water levels for different times of the year. The water levels were determined by the Department of Natural Resources who took into account fish management, recreation, and shoreline erosion.
The dam consists of 7 boards that are each about 4 feet long and 6 inches wide. The bottom board has never been taken out because it is too hard to extract due to the force of the water. That bottom board sits in a concrete base so that about 3 inches of the board is in the water path. Besides the dam, the other water flow confinement is the culvert that is just downstream from the dam. This culvert is 4 feet in diameter.
The dam consists of 7 boards that are each about 4 feet long and 6 inches wide. The bottom board has never been taken out because it is too hard to extract due to the force of the water. That bottom board sits in a concrete base so that about 3 inches of the board is in the water path. Besides the dam, the other water flow confinement is the culvert that is just downstream from the dam. This culvert is 4 feet in diameter.
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