County Board - Regular Meeting

Everybody take your seats, please. I'm going to call the county board to order. If the clerk would, please call the roll.

Okay. Rylander. Rylander here. Smith. Smith absent. Trucios. Trucios absent. Veldren. Veldren absent. Wegleitner. Wegleitner here. Welsh. Welsh here. Yang.

Yang here.

Yang here. Andre. Andre.

Andrew here.

Andrew here. Bruce Shook. Bruce Shook here. Blazewitz. Blazewitz here. Betcher. Betcher here. Bollig. Bollig here. Brandmeier. Brandmeier here. Brandmeier here. Brouwer. Brouwer here. Chavla. Chavla here. Chavla here. Dantzler. Dantzler absent. Doolin. Doolin. Doolin absent. She's online. She's online. Downing. Downing is here. Downing here. Eicher.

Here. Here.

I can hear Engelberger. Engelberger here Erickson. Erickson here freeze freeze here Furman Furman here Glazer. Laser absent Gray. Where are you? Well, people gotta say something. OK, let's see. I just did OK Gray. Right here right here. Uselman.

Uselman here, Jackson.

Jackson here.

Jackson here. Kemp. Kemp here. Kemp here. Crowning. Crowning here. Larson.

Larson here.

Here. Lewis. Lewis here. Lewis here. Marin. Marin absent. Obese. Obese here. Peterson. Peterson here. Peterson here. Posler.

Posler here.

Posler here. Ritt. Ritt. Ritt here. Miles.

Miles here.

Okay, we have a quorum.

Eldon here. Sorry, Mr. Clerk.

Eldon.

Eldon's here. All right, with the quorum being present, we shall move on to this evening's inspirational message, tonight being delivered by Supervisor Rylander.

Thanks, Chair Miles. If this isn't nice, I don't know what is. My favorite author Kurt Vonnegut frequently told a story about his uncle, Alex Vonnegut, and I try to think about it as often as I can because it's easy to forget to. Uncle Alex on hot summer afternoons with a glass of lemonade in his hand or in a quiet family moment would grab everyone's attention and say, if this isn't nice, I don't know what is. These weren't extraordinary moments, mind you. They don't make the family album or the newspaper, but acknowledges that all moments are extraordinary on a speck of dust floating in infinite nothingness. Every moment, especially those spent and in service of others, is an improbable miracle to be relished. But developing the habit of noticing them is hard, and it takes practice. Around the same time I read those words for the first time in the early 2000s, my grandpa, an engineer and veteran of the Korean War named Conrad Swigum, lost his wife, my grandma, Elaine, to cancer. My grandpa, who had never, to my knowledge, read Vonnegut, though he might have, started spontaneously and frequently announcing a similar mantra. He would sigh, seemingly out of nowhere, and say, it's a good life, isn't it? He had spontaneously arrived at the same conclusion, that life is a string of moments, mundane, profound, sometimes terrible, and we get to choose how to greet them. So right now it's Thursday. Many of us worked a full day, and we have a meeting of indeterminate length tonight, and then we work again tomorrow. It's historically hot outside, and the best advice from state and county officials is that we not breathe. And lettuce is trying to kill us, or at the very least embarrass us. What a great opportunity to exercise this muscle. Take a few seconds right now to notice this extraordinary, ordinary moment. This electric quantum possibilities of a public meeting that hasn't yet happened. You're in a room full of people who showed up. Staff who put out a little placard with your name on it and made sure that our 20 page agenda is organized like clockwork precision and detail. Neighbors who care enough about their community to spend a Thursday evening watching local government do its work and to participate in it. Dozens of people all in one place are participating online who decided that their community was worth showing up for. Take a sip of a cold beverage if you have one. Notice the cool ambient lighting. They didn't actually turn it on tonight. It's often different colors. The cool ambient lighting that's kind of delightfully out of character for a building called the City-County Building. And say it. If this isn't nice, I don't know what is. Saying so doesn't eliminate our problems. We will handle a few of them tonight and larger, more looming ones in the coming months. And that's exactly as it should be. But it gives us the perspective to contextualize the good and the bad and face those issues as joyful warriors rather than being swallowed by them. To further quote Vonnegut, and in this one he was addressing newborns, hello babies, welcome to earth. It's hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It's round and wet and crowded. On the outside, babies, you've got about 100 years to live. There's only one rule that I know of, babies. God damn it, you've got to be kind. Please join me for the pledge. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. All right.

Thank you, Supervisor Rylander. Next up we have under special matters and announcements we have 2026 resolution 79. Recognizing July 2026 as black indigenous and people of color BIPOC mental health awareness month. Supervisor Beezy will be presenting this.

All right, good evening, everyone. Whereas, okay. Whereas the month of July is recognized as Black, Indigenous, and People of Color BIPOP Mental Health Awareness Month to dedicate attention to the unique challenges and systematic barriers faced by BIPOP communities, as well as the unique strength they bring in addressing mental health struggles. And whereas BIPOP Mental Health Month is known as B.B. Moore National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month to honor the legacy of the trailblazing author, journalist, and mental health advocate, B.B. Moore Campbell. And whereas mental health is fundamental to overall health and quality of life, access to affirming and culturally grounded systems of care contributes to stronger individuals, families, and communities, and whereas BIPOC communities continue to experience barriers to accessing behavioral health services, including mental health and substance use support as a result of longstanding inequities, stigma, and gaps in access to culturally responsive care, and whereas specific heightened Barriers to mental health access and support in BIPOC communities include lack of diversity among mental health care providers, shortage of cultural competence providers, increased presence of stigma and mental health in some communities, language barriers, lack of insurance or under insurance, and greater distrust in the healthcare system due to historical and contemporary injustices and systemic biases towards BIPOC individuals. And whereas racial trauma or race-based traumatic stress refers to the mental refers to the mental and emotional injury caused by encounters with racial biases, ethnic discrimination, racism, and hate crimes. Recurring exposure to these stressors, including microaggression and vigorous experiences of violence, can create chronic stress that predisposes individuals to conditions like anxiety and depression further, FATHER CONTRIBUTING TO THE PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS DUE TO RACISM AND WHEREAS THE WISCONSIN DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH SERVICES, DHS RECOGNIZES THAT CULTURAL COMPETENT CARE IS NOT UNIVERSALLY AVAILABLE INCLUDING ACCESS TO INTERPRETERS AND SERVICE PROVIDERS THAT REFLECTS WISCONSIN'S DEMOGRAPHICS AS EVIDENCED IN DANE COUNTY BY THE 2024 HUMAN SERVICES YOUTH ASSESSMENT. This assessment found that 50.1% of white students who are depressed receive mental health services compared to only 28% of students of color who are depressed. demonstrating a significant disparity in access to care. And whereas the 2026 BIPOC Mental Health Awareness Month aims to create more good days together by reflecting the understanding that mental health well-being is strengthened through community-trusted relationships, cultural responsive care, and environments where individuals feel seen, supported, and connected. And whereas organizations and partnerships throughout Dane County... I'm sorry, my wife is in the hospital about to give birth. She's calling me, but...

Wait, almost.

Hello? Hello? Okay, hold on, I'll call you back, please. Just two minutes, okay. Okay, thank you, thank you. All right, okay. All right. This is how important it is for mental health. All right, so whereas organizations and partnerships throughout Dane County, including the African Center for Community Development, which is represented by Ama here, the director, and then also the Hmong Institute, Central Hispano of Dane County, Auburn Triage, the Progress Center for Black Women, the ICC Sexual Resources Center, and Reach Dane are advancing community-centered approaches to care by expanding access to mental health services, supporting recovery, strengthening belongings, and building systems rooted in dignity and equity. And whereas collaborative efforts such as the Dane County BIPOC Mental Health Coalition in partnership with community-based organizations across the county continue to create affinity spaces, support and advise agencies, and advocate for upstream system level change to address the mental health needs and disparities of BIPOC community. Now, therefore, it be resolved that the Dane County Board of Supervisors send ceremonial copies of this resolution to the organizations mentioned in the resolution as a token of the board's appreciation and in recognition of its contributions to the community. Be it finally resolved that the Dane County Board of Supervisors recognizes July 2026 as BIPOC Mental Health Awareness Month and affirms its commitment to fostering conditions that create more good days together through awareness, connection, cultural, responsive care, and continued investment in the health and well-being of BIPOC communities. So, right before I run out. And why don't you move the resolution? I move to adopt this resolution.

And moved by BC, seconded by... to approve Resolution 2026-79. All in favor of approval say aye. Aye. Opposed say no.

And with that, the resolution is approved. Thank you. I'm going to definitely shorten my speech. Tonight. So again, I want to thank the community organizations. We're lucky to have two wonderful organizations here representing the BIPOC community. And then also, I want to also thank all the professionals, advocates, faith leaders, and families throughout Dane County who work every day to break Stigma provides culturally responsive care and support those who may be struggling in silence. When people feel seen, they begin to heal. When community feel valued, they become stronger. Today, Dane County reaffirmed that mental health is a human right and that every resident, every one of us here and those that we represent deserves dignity, belonging, and access to compassionate care. So I just want to invite the two organizations here to say a few words, if you so choose.

Thank you, and congratulations. My name is Fernando Canospina. I am one of the lead facilitators for the BIPOC Mental Health Coalition, and I am the Director of Administration and Inclusion at RISE Wisconsin. We also have Journey Mental Health, which is also part of the BIPOC Mental Health Coalition and the African Center. The coalition started because you approved some funds for us three years ago, and through that grant, we are able to do the work together with 15 different organizations moving forward to improve the mental health of BIPOC communities across Stain County. I want to take the opportunity to invite you all to our first free BIPOC mental health conference happening in November 7 at the Center for Black Excellence this year, where we will be talking about the data about youth mental health and the importance of concentrating on those different challenges that our youth are having in our district. Dane County. So thank you so much for this and thank you for the work that you're doing and continuing to support BIPOC mental health and mental health of all the citizens in Dane County.

Thank you all.

You're excused. Thank you. Wow, that's a first. Okay. All right, that takes care of special matters. So on to announcements. Are there any announcements, disclosures, abstentions? Supervisor Welch.

Did you say Welch?

I did. Welch, sorry.

ALL OF THAT. SO I ADVISE TONIGHT TO POINT ATTENTION TO AN EMAIL THAT I SENT OUT ABOUT AN HOUR AGO INVITING FOLKS TO THE HENRY VIOLA ZOO, ONE OF THE GEMS OF DAIN COUNTY. SO THE ZOO IS IN MY DISTRICT, AND I HAVE THE PLEASURE OF SERVING ON THE ZOO COMMISSION. AND THE INTENTION OF THIS EVENT IS TO INVITE YOU ALL OVER, GET AN OVERVIEW OF THE ZOO'S CURRENT GOALS, ROADMAP FOR THE FUTURE, SOME EXHIBIT PLANNING, talk a little bit about the AZA accreditation, community engagement, and my personal favorite, some of the conservation initiatives that are going on at the zoo. They are incredibly groundbreaking and progressive and something to really be proud of. So I hope you all can make it. The date is Friday, August 7th from 3 to 5, and I hope to see you there. I have one other announcement. It's actually I NEED TO REQUISE ON M3, SO THAT'S RESOLUTION 69, DUE TO EMPLOYMENT.

THANKS. VERY GOOD. THANK YOU. M3. OKAY. SUPERVISOR DOWNING. SUPERVISOR DOWNING.

THERE. IS HERE AND LOST MY PICTURE. There we go. Let's try this again. For those of you interested in having a little more art in your lives, come on out to Mount Horeb this weekend, Saturday 9 to 5, Sunday 10 to 3. It's time for the annual Art Fair on the Square. It's a juried art fair. There will be food trucks, an online silent auction, and live music. You might even hear some bluegrass out there. All right. Hope to see you. Thank you.

Thank you. Supervisor Chabot.

Thanks, Chair Miles. I just want to invite everyone to Atwood Fest, which is in the heart of the east side. It's on Atwood Avenue, right by Winnebago. It's put on by my neighborhood association, the Schenck Atwood Starkweather Yahara Neighborhood Association. And it kicks off on Saturday at 11, where we have a parade that starts at four different locations. And we all converge. And then you can see your elected officials attempting to do some kind of group dance that we're working on right now. One convergence will be led by me and Alder Davey Mayer from District 6. And it's a really good time. There's going to be good music. There's going to be lots of beer. And I will also be bartending in the evening. So we invite you all to come on down. And if you can't make it to that one, there's always Orton Park Fest, Willie Street Fair, Shank's Corners Block Party, and lots of other ones as well. But hope to see you at Atwood Fest, my favorite.

Anyone else with an announcement?

I do, Mr. Chair. Go ahead. I'm sorry.

Supervisor, well, OK. You're on mute. Go ahead.

I can wait. I just want to, I was. And for disclosure as well. I just wanted to bring everyone's attention to a fabulous event that is currently ongoing in Supervisor Erickson's district. The Dane County Fair has been going on for over 175 years. So hopefully people can come out all through the weekend starting tonight, as I said. Maybe the rain has subsided so people can go back out and enjoy the fair over the weekend. And I wanted to... Abstain from resolution 2670. Looking for the number I didn't have.

You don't have that number? Okay. It's 2670. I'm just trying to pull my agenda back up. It's not 2670.

It's 070. Okay. 2026. 2026. 070. Okay. All right. Thank you.

OK, we have an abstention on that and then Supervisor Passler with the disclosure.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I will be abstaining on M3, which is Res 69 due to my employment.

Alright, any other? Announcements. All right. Oh, the clerk.

Yeah, I just want to July finance reports are due. They were due. So I do have up here no activity. If you want to do that. You just need to once a year. So if you did it in January, that's that'll cover you. But um, yeah, just reminder.

All right, sounds good, thank you. And then, okay, hearing no one else, I have a few here. First, I want to introduce Benson Yang in the back of the room here. Benson, you wanna raise your hand? So Benson is the third of, at a previous meeting, I introduced two other interns in the board office this summer, and Benson is joining us as well through the Boys and Girls Club program. And a recent high school graduate will be entering UW Madison in civil engineering in the fall. So he's splitting his time helping us and helping in the treasurer's office. So welcome, Benson. All right. Let's see. Also wanted to remind you, an email went out, I think it was last week, regarding the 2027 budget engagement sessions the county board is hosting in four different locations, four different dates, the first one being July 28th. at the goodman community center july 30th at central spano that one will be a hybrid all the others will be in person only um tuesday august 4th at grove community center in maize and then august 7th in the windsor neighborhood center so um and dylan will be if he hasn't already be sending out one more email reminder we're hoping to get rsvps from supervisors by tomorrow so um And then just a reminder at our next county board meeting, county board meeting, there's just one in August. That'll be August 13th and that will be an in-person only meeting out at Mendota County Park in the new park shelter out excuse me, new park shelter out there. So that's on August 13. And then finally, July birthdays. People's birthdays this month include supervisors Andre, Baruchek, Bollig, Brower, Larson, Lewis, and Ovizzi, who may also be welcoming another family member here this month, apparently. So happy birthday to all of you. All right, those are my announcements. And that will take us to item C, approval of minutes. And just one item under here, the bill's over $10,000 referred to the county board. Is there a motion? Moved by Engelberger, seconded by Erickson. Discussion, questions on the bills? All right. If none, all in favor of approval, say aye. Opposed, say no. All right, motion carries. The bills are approved for payment. So we're on to denial of claims. We have five items here. Are there any requests for separation? Otherwise, I will entertain a motion. to deny the claims, moved by Erickson, seconded by Brower to deny claims one through five. Any discussion, comments? Hearing none, all in favor of the denial of those claims, say aye. Opposed say no. That motion carries and those items are denied. So we're on to E, approval of county board minutes. We have before us both the June 25th Committee of the Whole minutes and minutes of the regular county board meeting, again on June 25th. Let's take a motion to approve those together. Moved by Bollig, seconded by Enkeberger. Any discussion, questions, corrections to those meeting minutes? Hearing none, oh, Supervisor Erickson.

No, I'm for the next one.

Okay, press your button again, please. All right, so with that, all in favor of approval of the meeting minutes of those two meetings, say aye. Opposed say no. Motion carries and they're approved. Excuse me, we're on the consent calendar. Let's see, we have 10 items here. Are there any requests for separation? Supervisor Erickson.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'd like to move to separate item one, ordinance amendment 005.

Any other requests for separation? All right, seeing, hearing, no other requests for separations. On the balance of items F2 through 10, what's before us are the committee's actions, recommended actions. So all in favor of those, say aye.

Aye.

Opposed say no. That motion carries. Those items are adopted. So, we're on to F1. I should make absolutely sure we don't have registrants. Okay. So, F1, 2026.085, amending Chapter 71 of the Dane County Code of Ordinances regarding the icebound lakes of Dane County. What is before us is Public Protection and Judiciary Committee recommendation of approval. Supervisor Erickson.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Yeah, I'd like to move to refer this back to committee, mainly for some more public comment, so that requires a second.

Which committee?

I'm sorry, ENER, Environment, Ag, Natural Resources.

Seconded by Blazewitz. Speak to re-referral.

Yes. Okay, and so this is regarding ATVs and UTVs on the lakes when they're frozen in the winter. And there have been some changes in regard to the manufacturer of them, but also our ordinances, which is fine for updating. I just wanted to move this back to committee for a little bit more public comment. I have a couple of constituents who wanted to, you know, have some more input on this. And also I discussed this with the chair of ENER, Supervisor Marin, and she's okay with it. I also talked to the vice chair, Supervisor Brandmeier, and she was good with it. and also the chair of the Lakes and Watershed Commission, Supervisor Blazewitz, and they felt okay with having, again, just for some more public input on this issue, since lakes are really important to a lot of us. So with that, I'd appreciate a vote to support it going back to committee, and then what I anticipate happening is that there'll be some more public input, and then it'll be on the inner committee for some more public input, and then it will come back to us. So that's about the extent of it. So I'd appreciate your vote for that.

Any other discussion? Supervisor Brandmeier.

Thank you, Chair Miles. And yes, we talked to Supervisor Erickson. And since Supervisor Marion isn't here, we're fine with it going back to committee one more time just to make sure that everybody's heard there's no ice in the future you know for a few months so um if we go back for one month it's it's okay thank you supervisor

Thank you, Chair. I just want to, you know, I'm okay with having more people heard, definitely. But this, but just, you know, part of this was in response to, I have constituents that live along the, you know, fish and mud lake. And it was a response to the reality of what ATVs and UTVs are now. And so basically nothing is currently legal. So they want to just make sure that any regulations obviously want to take care of our natural resources. You're not going to get me to disagree with that. Just to understand that to make sure that, you know, that the current policies are responsive to the reality of the equipment that they're trying to regulate. So, you know. That's basically what I have to say with deference to what people who recreate on some of these waters, especially since fish and mud lake are now one lake, one whole lake with no road in the middle. You know, people are very serious about access to that lake, even especially in light of the fact that there's very little county park land with access now since the lake has risen so high.

Thank you.

Great. Welcome. Supervisor Andrew.

Thank you, Chair. I love public comment as much as the next person, and I want to recognize there has been a very robust public engagement process. The public input form, website, many meetings, all of those elements closed earlier this spring. It's been referred to multiple committees for robust discussion and debate. I appreciate that we have those processes in place for a reason and that we will always take more input on issues, but that the formal process to do so has concluded after a very robust effort. I started hearing about this a year and a half ago and I know not every single constituent does and sometimes things come right up to the line and people will still have a lot of questions and comments, but I do want to respect the really robust process that Lakes and Water has put in place about this. Certainly, if there's more conversation, that's okay, but I will be voting no on re-referral since there was such a strong process going into this change over many, many months. Thank you.

All right. There being no further discussion, all in favor of re-referral to Enar, say aye. Aye. Opposed, say no. No.

No.

With that, the motion carries. The item is re-referred. Excuse me. All right, that takes care of consent calendar. We are on to H, reports on zoning petitions. We have nine items here. We have a registrant wishing to speak on the first item, so I'll separate that. Are there any other requests for separation? All right, hearing none. On the balance of items, what is before us on items two through nine is zoning and land regulation recommendations for approval. So on those, all in favor say aye.

Aye.

Aye. Opposed say no. Those items are approved. Those petitions are approved. So we're on to item one, which is 12,275 rezone petition on irrevocable trust in the town of Vienna. What is before us is the Zoning and Land Regulation Committee recommendation for denial. And we have a registrant wishing to speak in support of denial. That is Bob Poach, not sure how to pronounce your name, sorry. Wishing to speak in support. You have up to five minutes to address the board. Go ahead.

Thank you, can you hear me?

We can, thank you, go ahead.

All right, thank you. Yes, we presented to the zoning board earlier this week. There was a lot of conversation and we're hoping that maybe there's some questions that the board itself may have. I'm not sure exactly what information you have in your packet from the meeting on Tuesday. We are of the opinion that our stormwater quality requirements meet the standards for DNR and Dane County. We do have a preliminary approval from Dane County Land and Water, as well as the DNR. But the big question seems to be the habitat, which we're in the opinion of we're actually increasing the area for the habitat to be able to grow. and not retract. And that's our biggest promise is we feel like we're meeting the letter of the law and the requirements that are in place. And we would really ask that the county board reconsider the actions that the zoning committee took and support our project. So I'm here for any questions that you may have. And I think Jamie, and Jessica Wendt are listening in as well. So if you have any questions for them, they're the owners of Madison Spring, and I'll leave it at that.

Okay, thank you. And so just point of clarification, I had announced the speaker is registered in support of denial, but actually clearly in support of approval of the petition, so in opposition to denial. right all right are there any questions for the speaker um okay then on to discussion on petition 12 275 supervisor do and go ahead why don't you start with your questions first and then your comments okay um my question for uh for staff

on this one just so that the board can hear a little bit more about the reasoning for denial is whether or not the letter of the actual development would meet all of the DNR standards for developing that area. but would, if they were to develop it as a heavy commercial district. So my question is that, is that based on land and water and, you know, land and water and other, if we look at the land itself, cause we zone the land, is the land suitable for that type of development? isolated from the particular applicants and this business? Would rezoning this to heavy commercial be an appropriate use of this land based on the natural resources around it?

Thank you, Chair Doolin, for your question. You know, I would begin by saying that The applicants had a very good application. They were thorough in their materials that they provided to the committee for consideration and the staff. I think that there are certain decision-making criteria. There are a number of them related to this application. And first and foremost, it's a land use decision. Is this proposal to HC heavy commercial zoning appropriate in this specific location? And engineering design can resolve a number of issues. A number of sites can be engineered to be in a particular location, but we first from a planning perspective, have to ask, what is the appropriate use for this property? And while the proposal may meet some of the stormwater provisions, they do have a preliminary review letter from Land and Water that confirms their compliance with stormwater standards. There's a broader question that's at play is whether or not heavy commercial zoning is appropriate in this location. And you'll see in the material, you can see our staff report, you can see that we have recommended, not recommended support of this proposal. If you look at the map, I think the overview map is perhaps one of the better maps to review. It's nestled into surrounding conservation area. There's U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service land, there's Dane County Conservation lands. YOU CAN SEE IN THE LAND AND WATER RESOURCES DEPARTMENT STAFF COMMENTS THAT THIS IS A VERY UNIQUE AREA AND THIS PARTICULAR UPLAND AREA ADJACENT TO THESE CONSERVANCY LANDS IS THE REQUEST WAS FOR 40 ACRES OF HEAVY COMMERCIAL AND I BELIEVE THE APPLICANTS ARE ONLY AFFECTING ABOUT A 14 ACRE AREA OF UPLAND AREA. But our determination as staff and our recommendation was that, no, this is a very high priority, high value conservation area. We received, in my tenure with the county, and I've been here since 1998, I don't ever remember receiving 80 comments in response to a proposal. And I believe 17 were in support and 63 were in opposition. And that's a high volume of information. OF INPUT AND THAT'S NOT THE SOLE DETERMINANT OF IT BUT IT'S A MEASURE OF THE VALUE OF THIS AREA IN THE COMMUNITY AND SO THERE I THINK THERE TO GET TO YOUR QUESTION AND SORRY FOR IF I'M GOING OFF TOPIC A LITTLE BIT BUT TO GET TO YOUR QUESTION I THINK While some aspects of the proposal were compliant with the stormwater provisions and other requirements of our ordinance, and they did have a very good application, it was a good application, but we feel as staff it's not a good location for this heavy commercial use.

Thank you, Todd. Thank you, Todd.

Yes, thank you. So what zoning and land regulation is about is about zoning petitions and about land suitability and about, you know, planning and development. And so the decision was not about the applicants. It wasn't about the usefulness of this type of business in this area. It was about the land that it's on, the natural resources and The unintended consequences of the rezone to heavy commercial, so the committee recognizes that the applicants had good intentions and want to be stewards of land want to be good neighbors. However, these considerations do not change the physical characteristics. or the ecological sensitivity of the site. And the question is whether or not the location itself is suitable for a heavy commercial development, because that exists beyond these people occupying this space. And the committee has found that it is not pretty unanimously. So I would recommend that the board consider that and support, vote yes on denial. Thank you.

Supervisor Betcher.

Yeah, I'd like to have another question for staff, basically. So right across the road there on Patton Road, you have E80+. which is right across the street, which is kind of a, you know, when you look at the storage and the facility and stuff they're doing is pretty similar to what this, what they've been asked to put on this piece of property. Can you explain why with it being across the road or what is the difference with two so closely adjacent properties next to this area that one would have been approved and one would be denied?

I would say that first, this is a new proposal. So we have to vet it at face value in its location. And in its location on the west side of Patton Road versus the east side of Patton Road, you're in much closer proximity to that complex, that wetland complex, that wildlife habitat, and this upland area, basically on the overview map, if you look at it, it's virtually surrounded to the northwest and southwest, immediately adjacent to this conservancy area. So I would say, one, it has to do with closer proximity, and two, it being a new proposal that we're evaluating.

All right. Seeing no further discussion, again, what is before us is Zoning and Land Regulation Committee recommendation for denial. So on that recommendation, all in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed say no. For that, the zoning petition is denied. That takes us to item K resolutions. Two items here, the first one being 2026 resolution 47, urging the state of Wisconsin to require adoption and implementation of severe weather emergency service plans and improve safety measures for mobile and manufactured home communities. What is before us is executive committee recommendation for approval. That was the committee acted earlier this evening. Supervisor Brandmeier.

Oh, that was a mistake. Sorry.

Oh, okay. All right. All right. So there being no discussion on the recommendation for approval, all in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed say no. With that, the resolution is adopted. Give me one second here. Next item, K2, I think we have registrants. All right, so we're on to K2 calling on Wisconsin to advance human relevant non-animal methods. What is before us is executive committee recommendation of approval. That action was taken earlier this evening. We do have a few registrants wishing to speak. It happens that they're all in favor. The first speaker wishing to speak, I'm sorry, registrant wishing to speak in favor is Dawn Ebert. who is online. Dawn, welcome. You have up to five minutes to address the board. Need to unmute.

There. Can you hear me? Yep.

Welcome.

Dawn Eberhardt, Sounds good, yes, my name is dawn ever heart of the main county resident spoke a little bit earlier i'm going to kind of repeat what I said a little bit earlier, but I first wanted to thank the board for everything you're doing on behalf of the beagles in our county. Dawn Eberhardt, Thank you also for giving me the opportunity to speak in support of resolution 70 which advances the use of human relevant non animal methods of research. Many of you have met our beagle, Gracie. She's actually sitting here on my lap. I'm going to put her down here real quick. She's a rare survivor who spent four and a half years of her life used in lab research. I've spoken to the board before about the trauma she experienced and what she still lives with. She came just very underweight, unable to eat, she would spin in circles repeatedly, and she had a pretty severe startle response when sleeping, amongst other issues that I have spoken about before. I've also spoken about her resilience and her love for everyone that she meets. She's clearly a sentient being, able to experience profound trauma as well as genuine happiness. I've seen the excitement when she meets children. Her entire body will wag in addition to her tail, She is extremely happy to seek little children. I've also seen the fear when she's picked up. She still tends to freeze in position. She's expecting something unpleasant to happen to her. And it took her over four months to have her feel safe enough to make direct eye contact with me when we first adopted her. What many of you may not know is that I'm also a pharmacist. I have more than 30 years of practice experience. I'm still practicing. During my career, I've seen research methods evolve dramatically. I went to school here at UW, right here in Madison Pharmacy School. And over the years, things have evolved. Today, we have innovative human relevant non-animal testing methods that are often more predictive of human outcomes than traditional animal models. In fact, the FDA Modernization Act 2.0 encourages the use of these modern approaches, recognizing that they can provide data that is more relevant to human health while reducing reliance on outdated animal testing. Members of the board, you have an opportunity to position Dane County as a leader in modern forward-thinking science. Supporting Resolution 70 sends a clear message that our county embraces innovation, encourages the growth of biotechnology companies who are developing cutting edge non-animal research methods, and supports the scientific approaches that are both more humane and more relevant to human health. I'm asking you to vote in favor of Resolution 70. Thank you very much for your time and your consideration.

Thank you. Are there any questions for the speaker? Okay, then our next registrant is Christina Newton, registered to speak in support. Welcome, Christina.

Good evening. Thank you, everyone, for being here, for serving our county, for taking the time to listen to my public comment. My name's Christina Kinjorski-Newton. I go by Kinjorski at work. I'm a professor in the Department of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics here at UW Madison. And I've been at UW for over 25 years. A big part of my work is analyzing data from experiments done on humans, from experiments done on mice. I also have extensive experience analyzing data from new approach methodologies such as the ones in Resolution 70. I'd like to be clear that the opinions I'm about to express are mine and mine alone. I'm not speaking for my department and I'm not speaking for UW. Having said that, I am here as a professor and as a scientist to express my strong support for Resolution 70 for a few reasons. The first one is that over the course of my career, I have seen just how difficult it is to translate results from animal studies into outcomes that are useful for humans. It's extremely difficult. While we have some success stories, we have lots and lots of difficulty with that. And it is absolutely clear that we are in need of better methods. The second reason is that new approach methodologies or NAMs mentioned in resolution 70 are proving to be quite effective. when I'm talking about needing new approaches, the ones that are mentioned here have somewhat of a track record, and they're proving to be very effective. So this term, NAMS, is relatively new, but the scientific approaches underlying them, many of them have been around for decades. What's new now is that they're becoming increasingly sophisticated, and with that sophistication, they're becoming increasingly relevant for human biology. So I'll give you just a few examples. So we have NAMs such as reconstructed human skin and also cornea-like tissue models that are already approved by the FDA as regulatory replacements for animal studies. They work better than animal models in detecting toxicity, for example. We also have organoids that are replacing lots and lots of animal studies when it comes to toxicity testing. We have many examples of organs on chips. where they're predicting with better sensitivity and specificity how patients will respond to treatments. These are patient-derived organs on chips and organoids, all sorts of success stories in that area. Finally, the third reason I'm in favor of Resolution 70 is that a greater focus on NAMs is, as the resolution details, likely to increase opportunities for us as an academic community, as a city, as a county, why? because we're going to increase our ability to do science. We're going to increase our opportunities for biomedical innovation. And ultimately, we're going to improve human health. So in summary, animal models are critically limited. NAMs are proving to be highly effective. And I think support for them has all sorts of advantages for our academic community, for our city, and for our county. The resolution is very forward thinking. It's timely. It's scientifically inclusive in that it broadens our toolkit. It doesn't shrink it. And it well positions Dane County to strengthen our leadership in biomedical innovation. And for all of those reasons, I am strongly in favor and I hope that you are as well. Thank you for your time and for your consideration.

Thank you. Any questions for the speaker? Supervisor Perisic.

Thank you, Professor, for coming tonight. So in preparation for this meeting, I was speaking to constituents and looking for trying to figure a few things out. I heard that zebrafish is the most common animal used on campus for research. Is that correct?

I don't know.

OK. That's fine. Thank you.

Yeah. Zebrafish is a common. animal model on campus, but I don't know if it's the most common. We have a lot of murine models, meaning mouse and rat. But somebody can check that on GPT quickly. Yeah.

I just don't want to embarrass myself.

Yeah. OK. There being no further questions, thank you.

Yeah, thank you.

Actually, Chair, sorry I couldn't get to the chat quick enough.

Can I ask a question? Go ahead. Supervisor, who was that? Peterson.

Go ahead. Yep. Apologies, I couldn't get to the chat fast enough. Appreciate the time. And I do have some questions. I'm just curious, can you give further context or kind of explore the statement that animal models are incredibly limited? Can you kind of give a little bit more context to that?

Sorry.

So the question is, can I give more context for the statement that animal models are limited? I can give a lot of context for that. One thing that I will say is that what we have seen over decades is if you just look at drug development, we are all interested in coming up with cures for disease, right? And so the pipeline to do that currently, typically, is we come up with drugs and basic science studies. They go through all sorts of animal tests, everything from zebrafish, mouse, rat, non-human primates, and so on. If you look at drugs, and these take, you know, on average about nine, 10 years to develop, $500 million I think is the typical price for a drug, passes all the animals, flying colors, you're popping champagne in the lab, this thing is going to clinical trial. The percentage of time that drugs fail in clinical trials after passing all of those animal tests Anybody want to guess how often we fail, even when everything was super rigorously done for a decade? It's over 90 percent of the time. Over 90 percent of the time. And that's a well-known fact in our area. So, I think that's kind of the thing that I mean the most. But, you know, we have lots of other examples that I could give you.

That helps, I think, is a follow-up. I guess to the resolution, I don't have, I guess, this is not an area of expertise for me, right? So this is where I rely on testimony.

So Professor Peterson, are you moving into discussion, comments?

No, I wanted to give a little bit more context and then ask my follow-up question.

OK, got it.

Just wanted to make sure.

Thanks.

Yeah. So I'm just I'm not an expert in this space. So I you know, you clearly the speaker is so I just based on their experience. So I guess could you give me some examples of research areas like where, you know, non-animal methods are superior today and then areas where animal models remain the standard?

Yeah. So in the area in which NAMs are most effective, effective is toxicity testing. So, as I mentioned, the FDA has already approved many alternatives as regulatory regulatory, whatever the word is, reliable in the regulatory space. And so toxicity testing would be the number one area where NAMs are proving useful. You know, animal models are still used in most situations, but I think the most important point here about this resolution is this is not one or the other. This is not if we move into NAMs, this resolution is calling for the end of all animal experiments. It doesn't say anything like that. It's just saying we are optimistic about NAMs, they are proving useful, and I think, and that's why I'm here, if we invest further in NAMs, we are going to see further benefit. So we've been in animal experiments for, you know, decades. The payoff is not as bright as many of us have hoped. You know, we've cured many cancers in the mouse. They don't translate to cures in humans. So we need to broaden our toolkit, as I said, increase our investments in NAMs.

Thank you. Thank you, Chair. Thank you. All right. One last check. Any other questions? Okay. There being none, our next registrant wishing to speak in favor is Amy Van Aertsen.

good evening everyone thank you for the opportunity to speak before the board my name is amy van artsen and i'm a dane county resident and serve as the executive director of the marty project a local based non-profit organization working to advance non-animal methods to end the use of dogs and experimentation first and foremost i want to sincerely thank each and every one of you for your tremendous leadership to continually work towards improving dane county i've been so grateful for and encouraged by my interactions with the dane county board since i first reached out to you a year ago I remain grateful for your efforts to animal welfare regulations being upheld in our county and your willingness to take a stand on issues affecting our community. Tonight, I'm here to enthusiastically speak in support of Resolution 70, calling on Wisconsin to advance human-relevant non-animal methods. As a scientist, this resolution means the world to me as it aligns with my values and where I believe science should go. This resolution is also consistent with the announcements at the federal level from the NIH, FDA, and EPA in the past year. To give some background, I moved to Dane County right before high school, and I'm a proud alum of Middleton High School. I was fortunate to be able to stay in Wisconsin for college and a triple alum of UW-Madison with an undergraduate degree in biochemistry and graduate degrees in chemistry and public health. While I'm not speaking on behalf of the university, I currently work at UW Madison as a researcher with my primary expertise in stem cell research. I want to first share some about the outstanding public education and experiences I had in Dane County, because I believe my experience is illustrative of the types of education and opportunities we can advance here in Wisconsin to benefit Wisconsinites and society as a whole. As a high school student at Middleton, I had the incredible opportunity to take a course on non-animal methods called Introduction to Biotechnology, which was developed and designed by my biology teacher through a grant she received from the state. In this course, not only did I have the unique experience developing my molecular biology skills as a high school student, but I also learned about incredible scientists doing research at UW-Madison, including Dr. Jamie Thompson, who is an emeritus UW-Madison professor. Dr. Thompson is credited with two of the most significant breakthroughs in modern biology, including co-developing human-induced pluripotent stem cells from adults in cells. This technology is how we're able to derive patient-derived stem cell lines, meaning it's possible for any of us to have our own stem cells utilized in research through very simple procedures, such as a simple blood draw. When I matriculated at UW for my undergraduate degree, I landed the experience of a lifetime by having the unique privilege of being in Dr. Jamie Thompson's lab as a research assistant, which I attribute largely being influenced by my high school biotechnology class. Since finishing my graduate degrees at UW, I spent most of the last few years working in stem cell research to study cardiovascular diseases. Using patient-derived disease cell lines, we're able to take stem cells and differentiate or direct these cells into more mature cell types. such as cardiomyocytes, which are the beating cells in the heart, which can then be used for electrophysiology studies to study the conduction in the heart. One of the best parts, once the cells have successfully differentiated into cardiomyocytes, they actually beat in the dish. It's just really fun to see in the lab or in the microscope, like it truly never gets old for me. There's so much more I'd love to share about the scientific innovation happening right here in Dane County that I hope we can further support advancement and to revolutionize medicine. I also want to talk about the impact that advancing NAMs would have for my own personal health. When I moved to Wisconsin, I was involved in a surgical accident and unfortunately became quite ill after the accident. In high school, I missed about 90% of my classes the first two years and since then have had more hospitalizations and surgeries than I care to count. A particular note, I had transplant surgery four years ago, and I've had sepsis, a life-threatening blood infection, three times now. I have the best medical team anyone could ask for, but with the current technology available in medicine, the goal of my treatment is not to cure my condition, rather to manage it.

One minute.

Thanks. For me, this means that I infuse medication at home regularly into my central line, which is a long-term IV. And I also get treatment at the infusion center every few weeks, which takes the entire day. I believe that by advancing NAMs is how we can most efficiently utilize resources and help find cures for patients like me. Further, I believe that we can address the translational gap that currently exists trying to utilize data that is heavily relied on animal research, which doesn't accurately predict human biology as well as human relevant research would. And of course, my public comment wouldn't be complete without talking about my two sweet beagles, Maggie, who you've met, and Daisy, who is an addition to my fam. I'm so excited to share that in May, alongside Supervisor Michelle Ritt, I got to welcome Daisy May into Freedom as part of the original release. And I can't begin to describe to you how much my sweet little girl means to me and to know that she was saved from experimentation. She's the most playful, joyful little pup I've ever met in my life, and she is so full of love. It saddens me greatly to think about all the animals that spend their lives in experimentation, but we can change that fate for so many animals by advancing non-animal methods together. Thank you gratefully for your time, and I urge you to vote yes on Resolution 70. Thanks.

Thank you, Amy. Are there any questions for you? All right. Thanks. All right. Again, what is before us is recommendation of approval. Is there a discussion or debate? Supervisor Downing.

OK, thank you, Chair Miles. Well. We've heard extensively from a University Wisconsin professor. Who told us that? It was her personal opinion. I would like to make sure that you're aware of and have read the official position of the university. And apparently I've lost my photograph or picture. Let me try to get that back. Okay, back live. Continuing. As one who's toured the Rigeland facility, and seeing that many accusations regarding conditions and the treatment of animals there are unfounded, I'm willing to trust the integrity of the university upon reading their message to us, a message that includes these thoughts. The care with which the UW Madison scientists approach their work ensures that animals are used in research only when there is no other way to arrive at meaningful scientific outcomes for the benefit of humans and other animals. That pain and distress are minimized and that non-animal methods are used whenever possible to achieve the necessary scientific objectives. A link inside their message includes examples of how the university's commitment to responsible and ethical research conducted under the attention of skilled veterinarians continues a long history of improving human and animal health and well-being. As such, I don't believe we should close the door on possible human and animal medical science advances. Please join me in voting this resolution down. Thank you.

Supervisor Ritt.

Thank you, Chair. I'd like to, I clearly rise in support of this resolution. I would like to read the first short paragraph of the letter that the previous speaker mentioned from the University of Wisconsin. that we all received today. The University of Wisconsin, and I quote, the University of Wisconsin-Madison appreciates and shares the Dane County Board of Supervisors' interests in supporting scientific innovation and advancing efforts to develop, validate, and implement research and training methods that do not rely on animals, end quote. So this resolution is not about Ridgeland Farms. It's a resolution advancing human relevant non-animal methods. I'm gonna keep my commentary brief. We've been here a while already and a lot of the scientific details were covered by our knowledgeable professional speakers. Dane County is a phenomenal center for biotechnology programs and also medical advancements. We're a world leader. We need to develop these programs and also prepare students to enter them. The resolution speaks to that. Science has come a long, long way over the last several decades. We have the knowledge and the capability to advance these non-animal methods. It's the right thing to do for science. It's the right thing to do for humans. And it's the right thing to do for the animals. I urge you to support. Thank you.

Supervisor Veldman.

Thanks, Mr. Chair, for jumping ahead. I was scrambling to find the number in the beginning of the meeting. I just wanted to say that I'm just not abstaining to abstain. I'm recusing because of a conflict with part of the therefore clauses. I'll just leave it at that. Thank you.

Okay. Thank you. Any other discussion? Supervisor Dooling, go ahead.

Thank you, Chair. I just want to make a comment on... again, exactly what this resolution is about. It is, I mean, rather than what it's being conflated to be, it's advancing non-animal methods. It's not saying you, like never not eradicating it, whatever, when possible. I mean, science is forward moving. And we should encourage that. I mean, we've gone a long way to, you know, thunderstorms, meaning that God is angry. So, you know, I feel like, and that like embracing science means that you're going to anger God. And so this isn't about saying, telling the university or medical experts, medical science experts, how to do their job. It's encouraging them not to fall back on the status quo because it's easier, safer, safer somehow. And to advance science and to be innovators and to do great things with that. So that's what this resolution is about. And so I would encourage people who want to do that to support me in supporting that.

Supervisor Peterson.

Thank you, Chair. I think ultimately tonight I'm going to oppose this resolution because I believe the board should be really judicious about taking positions on issues that don't directly affect county operations or responsibilities. While this resolution definitely raises important scientific questions, I don't see a clear connection to a county program, a county service, or a specific legislative proposal that our lobbyists could effectively advocate for. So unfortunately, I'm going to have to vote no on this one tonight. So thank you, Chair.

OK. Um? And there being no. Excuse me, no further. People on the board.

Downing here didn't reach Chad. May I speak one more time please?

For a second time, go ahead.

Thank you chair miles. One of the reasons I think that this, I agree with the previous speaker that this resolution is unnecessary, but also because in my reading of the resolution, it does appear to, it appears to me that the university is already making efforts to use non-animal methods. And what I think this resolution implies that using animals at all is not respected or allowed. And because of that, I will continue to say no. Thank you.

OK. Supervisor Ritt for a second time.

Thank you, Chair. Again, the resolution is linked in our agendas. It is at our fingertips. The resolution does not call to end all animal testing. And the University of Wisconsin's letter did not say that either. And the resolution includes much, much more than the University of Wisconsin. It specifically includes, you know, K-12 education, Madison College. It is about advancing these non-animal methods as a way to develop our science and our medical care.

Thank you. All right. There being no further discussion, the recommendation of approval. Okay. Roll call has been requested. Clerk can go ahead and call the roll.

Sure. On Res 70, Rylander. Rylander, aye. Rylander, aye. Smith, Smith, absent. Trucios, absent. Trucios, aye. Oh, Trucios, aye. Well, then I'm going to fix your presence here. Okay, Veldren is abstaining. Wegleitner. Aye. Wegleitner, aye. Welsh. Aye. Welsh, aye. Yang.

Aye.

Yang, aye. Andre. Aye. Andrew I. Andrew I. Baruchick. Baruchick no. Blazewitz. Blazewitz I. Boettcher. Boettcher I. Bollig. Bollig I. Bollig I. Brandmeier. Brandmeier I. Brandmeier I. Brouwer. Brouwer I. Chawla. Chawla I. Chawla I. Dantzler. Dantzler absent. Doolin. Doolin I. Doolin I. Downing. No. Downing no. Eicher. I. Eicher I. Engelberger. Engelberger, aye. Erickson? Aye. Erickson, aye. Freese? Aye. Freese, aye. Fuhrman? Abstain. Fuhrman, abstain. Glazer? Aye. Glazer, absent. Aye. Aye. Thank you. Thank you. Gray?

Ready, aye.

Gray, aye. Heuselman?

Heuselman, aye.

Heuselman, aye. Jackson?

Jackson, aye.

Jackson, aye. Kemp? Kemp, aye. Kemp, aye. Browning, aye. Larson. Larson, aye. Larson, aye. Lewis. Lewis, aye. Lewis, aye. Marin. Marin, absent. Obese is absent. Peterson. Peterson, no. Peterson, no. Postler. Postler, aye. Postler, aye. Ritt. Ritt, aye. Ritt, aye. Miles. Miles, aye. Miles, aye. 28-3.

Okay, and with that, Resolution 70 is adopted. That takes us to M, items requiring more than a simple majority. We have three items here. Are there any requests for separation? All right, then what is before us in those three items are the various committees. recommendations for approval, and I'd like to record them as having passed unanimously with, I think there was an abstention, a recusal on one item. So with that, I'd like to record those as having passed with a sufficient more than simple majority vote, if there's no objection. Your objection will be so recorded and the three items are adopted. So that takes us to anything, any other such business is allowed by law?

No?

Okay, then we're on to our adjournments, our motion to move by Bollig, seconded by Erickson to adjourn. All in favor say aye.

Aye.

Opposed? We're adjourned. Thank you all, and stay safe with these air conditions.