Posted on 08/08/2008 5:20:40 PM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
(Fines, legal action possible in dispute over land use)
Wales, WI - The kettle is hot, but the corn isn't popping just yet.
Threats of daily fines and a lawsuit, all over a 7-acre stand of corn, have people talking in the small village of Wales, just west of Waukesha.
Property owner Kent Hanson says the corn crop is better for the community than a plot of unchecked, unsightly weeds.
Village President Jeffrey Flaws wants the corn taken out because more property taxes can be collected if the land remains under business use and is not converted to the much cheaper agricultural use. The Village Board has approved fining Hanson or pursuing legal action in court. As of Thursday, it hadn’t done either.
As municipal budgets get tighter, officials are more closely watching how landowners are using vacant properties, specifically that they aren’t turning plots zoned for industrial and commercial uses into cropland to reduce property taxes, Flaws said.
The village argues that because the land is zoned for business, it can’t be farmed without prior approval of village officials.
That’s when heat was applied to Hanson to clear the land of the cornstalks.
Village officials learned about the crop through a telephone call early this summer. That same day, the Plan Commission called Hanson to its regular meeting and asked what was going on. Hanson told the commission the crop was planted by farmer Tom Oberhaus — chairman of the neighboring Town of Delafield Plan Commission — to be cattle feed, Hanson said.
The two sides have not talked since then. Hanson said he received a notice from a village attorney shortly after the meeting warning him to clear the land, which was not done. The village subsequently has threatened legal action.
The state provides substantial property tax breaks to farmers, but some property owners lease their land to farmers and receive additional financial benefits of the tax breaks.
Hanson’s disputed property north of Highway 18 is zoned for business use, not agriculture. He pays about $6,800 in annual property taxes under that particular zoning designation.
Hanson would not say how much of a discount he could get. Some exemptions for Waukesha County properties reportedly have dropped taxes from thousands to a few hundred dollars.
Hanson said the village is going after him because of disputes he’s had concerning his previous developments, including his office on Highway 18.
Hanson said he never planned to seek the discount and would seed over the land with grass after this crop is harvested. But with the village demanding that he pull the corn out before it’s harvested, he began researching his legal options.
“Now, as time is starting to go on, I’m getting mad,” Hanson said. “The village greed has overcome the moral fortitude of farming it.”
Flaws discounted Hanson’s defense, saying that Hanson was fully aware of what he was doing.
He compared Hanson’s reasoning to that of a child being sentenced for killing his parents and begging the court for mercy because he’s an orphan.
Hanson’s cornfield lies in an area that’s considered a gateway to the village, Flaws said.
“We’re not just thinking about the tax implications, Flaws said.
Coming to a township near you...
Do you have contact info for that idiot, Flaws???
Since we had a similar discussion last week, what say you?
On the one hand, I think the town is being greedy and petty. We have HUGE cornfields on either side of the road that leads into our Cow Town of 8,000 people. Wales has 2,500 that live there. It’s hardly a “thriving megalopolis,” drawing hundreds of tourists each year. It’s like a mile off of Interstate 1-94. Everyone goes PAST Wales, not TO it.
I think someone has a hard-on for this guy, and I think he’s fighting back to bring it to light.
See, Wales is ‘Up and Coming.’ It’s a new “Bedroom Community” within driving distance of Milwaukee. I can see why those living in $250K CONDOS wouldn’t want to have to be bothered with a cornfield within their view, LOL! How many on the Board are Real Estate developers? One wonders...
http://www.city-data.com/city/Wales-Wisconsin.html
See my Post #3...I did a little research after posting. This didn’t pass the Smell Test for me!
The horses and cows have been here much longer than the subdivision but sooner or later the city will start making farming the new boogie man.
In Wales, there is no reason why anyone should be upset over corn.
Maybe he should call it a Victory Garden, err ..., an Obama Community Activist Garden. Then they would leave him alone.
When the "land use" committee tried to rezone my neighborhood from low density residential to mixed commercial, the whole neighborhood showed up with pitchforks and torches at the city council meeting. The city council rejected the recommendation of the money grubbing real estate developers who control the land use committee. It would have been an unjust taking of our property and a major hit in property values to be rezoned in that fashion. A few hundred law suits would have been immediately filed against the city.
My mom lives right down the road in Delafield and my sister and brother-in-law in Nagawicka. I think I hear them saying how ridiculous this is. I thought Ill annoy was bad and was thinking of moving back north but I don’t know now.
In almost the exact middle of our city of 250,000, there is a couple of hundred acre livestock operation. With the exception of a small commercial corner, there are nice subdivisions on all 4 sides. They also farm for livestock feed a couple of undeveloped commercial tracts next to an 8 lane expressway - the owner gets the tax break, the farm operation gets the feed.
Housing is high enough density that folks actually appreciate the green space.
petty town gauleiter you say? selectively and subjectively enforcing town zoning ordinances according to his vindictive whims you say? coming to a town near me you say? been there, done that, got the buckin T-shirt...
There is a very good reason why my current location is not in the state where I was born...and I will by no means remain here any longer than absolutely necessary...
This isn’t too uncommon in WI. During a dispute with the city over development, the owner of the former Parkland Mall in Muskego drilled holes in the old parking lot, planted evergreens and had the land designated as a tree farm.
Move to Tennessee as soon as you can. That’s where I’m headed. :)
Brilliant! :)
I used to go to Muskego Beach as a kid, Good times.
We Our nieghbor's cattle pay about $600/year taxes on our house, buildings, and 310 acres.
It is zoned for industry. He should file to install an nuclear plant or fertilizer production facility.
Diana, I’m surprised to see an article about this small town in Wisconsin. This town is deeply connected to my family, as some of my earliest Welsh ancestors settled this community 150 years ago and owned property in the vicinity. Thanks for posting it.
Move to Tennessee as soon as you can. That’s where I’m headed. :)
I grew up in Milwaukee, I love the lake front and the roads west and north of there are great for motorcycle rides. Not to forget Great Lakes Dragway in beautiful Union Grove. But it seems Wisconsin is becoming more socialist everyday.
Texas looks good,but it gets pretty hot and I like having 4 seasons.Tennessee? I guess it would be cool to hang with Charley Daniels!
I’m in TN, but the one thing you folks in Wisconsin won’t like is the dreadful humidity we have here. Not quite as brutal as the Deep South, but 95 degrees and matching humidity in summer is unpleasant. Our winters have been fairly mild for the past 20 years, too (at least in Nashville) and have rarely gotten any real snowfall. The ‘70s and ‘80s were a different story.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.