Profile Of The Bay-Lake Regional Planning Commission

About The Commission
Regional Planning Programs
Commissioners and Staff
Contact Information
2008 Annual Report
 

Serving the Counties of:
Brown, Door, Florence, Kewaunee, Manitowoc, Marinette, Oconto, Sheboygan in Northeastern Wisconsin

Regional planning in Wisconsin has evolved from a long tradition of state and local concern for land and water conservation, balanced economic development, and other concerns for the future of our state. The realization that many natural and human problems and activities often affect an area larger than a single city, town, village, or county led to the concept of an area-wide approach to planning. The Bay-Lake Regional Planning Commission has been established to provide advisory planning service on area-wide issues, to represent local interests on state and federal planning program activities, and to provide local planning assistance to communities in the region.

The Commission

Creation and Authority

The Bay-Lake Regional Planning Commission (Commission) was created in 1972 by Governor Lucey at the request of seven county boards in the region under Wisconsin Statutes s. 66.945 (re-titled 66.0309) as the official area-wide planning agency for northeastern Wisconsin. In December 1973, Florence County joined the Commission, bringing the total number of member counties to eight.  Section 66.0309 (8) (2) prescribes that the function of the regional planning commission shall be solely advisory to the local governments and local government officials comprising the region.

Area Served

The Commission serves a region consisting of the eight counties of Brown, Door, Florence, Kewaunee, Manitowoc, Marinette, Oconto and Sheboygan. The Bay-Lake Region is comprised of eight counties, 17 cities, 40 villages, 119 towns, and the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin, for a total of 185 local units of government. The total area of the region is 5,433 square miles, or 9.7 percent of the area of the State of Wisconsin. The region has over 400 miles of coastal shoreline along Lake Michigan and Green Bay, and contains 12 major watershed areas that drain into the waters of Green Bay and Lake Michigan. The 2007 population estimate of the Region was 586,526 persons, or 10.4 percent of the population of the State of Wisconsin.

Organization

The membership composition of the Commission is as follows: (1) One member appointed by the county board of each county, part or all of which is initially within the region or later added; (2) Two members from each participating county appointed by the governor, with at least one of the appointees being selected from a list of persons nominated by the county board; and (3) The secretary of the department of commerce or a designee who serves as a nonvoting member. As of March 2008, 12 were publicly appointed officials or employees, and 10 were private citizens who were actively involved in community affairs.

Funding

2008 Budget:  $1,325,897 (17.8% Member Levy, 22.6% Federal, 6.0% State, 46.4% Local Government Contracts, and 7.2% Miscellaneous).

 Operating Principles

The Commission operates under the following five principles under which all of the Commission's work programs are developed. These principles are:

  • To assist and advise local government.
  • To influence state, regional, and federal plans and programs that reflect the best interest of the Bay-Lake Region.
  • To prepare and adopt a comp plan under Wisconsin Statutes s. 66.0295, for the development of the region.
  • To provide technical information about the region for use by public and private agencies.
  • To encourage citizen participation in the planning process.


Basic Functions


Throughout its history, the Commission has taken a balanced approach to its work program, by providing both area-wide planning as well as local assistance services. In recognition of its statutory responsibilities, the Commission has undertaken regional studies that have focused on the region's transportation network, population and economic structure, housing characteristics, natural resources, land and water related issues and on those issues that transcend local governmental boundaries. Regional planning provides a cost effective way to collect, compile, and analyze information that can be used by counties and other local government units on their planning activities, such as comprehensive planning, environmental corridor preservation and economic development. Regional plans provide a framework for more detailed planning at the local level.

In all of its activities, the Commission provides an advisory planning role to local governments and local government officials. Local planning activities include but are not limited to, comprehensive plans, zoning ordinances, grant writing and administration, GIS mapping and outdoor recreation plans.

 

Regional Planning Programs

Regional Transportation Planning

Since the mid-1970’s, the Bay-Lake RPC has provided regional transportation planning in northeastern Wisconsin including:

  • Bicycle facility plans
  • Elderly and disabled transportation plans
  • Highway corridor plans
  • Pavement management plans
  •  Transit plans
  • Transportation plans
  • Harbor impact studies
  • Transportation grant writing-TEA grants, Harbor Assistance Program
  •  Shared ride taxi program grant assistance and administration
  • Transportation data
  • Technical assistance to local communities
  • A working relationship with WisDOT and Federal Highway Administration
  • Wisconsin Department of Transportation


Sheboygan MPO

The Commission was designated the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for Sheboygan by the governor in 1982.

  • Area includes the Cities of Sheboygan and Sheboygan Falls, the Villages of Kohler and Howards Grove, the Town of Sheboygan and portions of the Towns of Herman, Lima, Mosel, Sheboygan Falls and Wilson
  • Federal law stipulates that transportation planning through a MPO is required for metropolitan planning area communities to receive federal transportation funding
  • Projects include traffic forecasts, surveys, transit system plans, and long and short range multimodal transportation plans and  programs
  • Transportation air quality conformity analysis
  • GIS mapping
  • Transportation modeling assistance


Water Quality Planning

The Commission provides technical assistance to communities to help protect water quality. Projects include:

  • Sewer service area planning
  • Sewer service administration for the City of Marinette urban area, the Sheboygan urban area, the Cities of Two Rivers and Manitowoc, and the Villages of Luxemburg and Mishicot
  • Lake and River management plans
  • Lake Michigan Watershed Basin Planning
  • A working relationship with the WDNR, EPA, and UW-Sea Grant Institute
  • Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources


Economic Development Program

U.S. Department of Commerce designated BLRPC an economic development district in 1973 to work on various economic duties including:

  • A Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) that reports current economic statistics, development strategy and a list of proposed projects for EDA funding
  • Grant research
  • Grant writing and administration for public works and economic development projects
  • Demographic and socio-economic data collection and analysis
  • Population projections
  • Tax incremental financing project plans
  • Technical assistance to local communities
  • Census information clearinghouse
  • Wisconsin state data center
  • A working relationship with the Economic Development Administration
  • Wisconsin Department of Commerce

Area-Wide Land Use Planning

Under this program the Commission completed a Regional Comprehensive Plan in 2005 that can be used by counties and other local governments as a framework for comprehensive plans required under Wisconsin’s “Smart Growth” legislation (s 66.1001) such as:


Coastal Management Program

The Commission has participated in the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program since 1979 providing:

  • Technical assistance to local communities on coastal issues and for grant applications to the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program
  • Erosion control study along Lake Michigan
  • GIS mapping of coastal resources
  • Public information on wetlands, impacts of development, public access, land use planning and natural hazards
  • A working relationship with the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program
  • Wisconsin Coastal Management Program


Community Assistance Program

Section 66.0309 (12) of the Wisconsin Statutes empowers regional planning commissions to enter into a contract with any local unit of government in the region under s.66.0301 (Intergovernmental Cooperation) to make studies and offer: 1) advice on land use, thoroughfares, community facilities and public improvements; and 2) encouragement of economic and other developments through:

  • Comprehensive plans
  • Outdoor recreation and site plans
  • Waterfront plans
  • Zoning, sign and subdivision ordinances
  • Codes of ordinances
  • Pavement assessment
  • GIS mapping and analysis
  • Sewer service area plans
  • Citizen surveys and community visioning
  • Environmental review records
  • Tax incremental finance district plans
  • Grant writing and administration for brownfields, housing, economic development, and public works
  • All-hazards mitigation planning
  • Wisconsin Department of Administration


Coordination of Local & Regional Planning

An important part of the Commission’s work program is to provide a way to discuss problems that transcend local government boundaries and can offer joint solutions for intergovernmental cooperation.

  • Coastal Management Citizen Advisory Committee
  • County Planners Meetings
  • Economic Development Advisory Committee
  • GIS Users Group
  • Housing Advisory Committee
  • I-43 Corridor Study Steering Committee
  • Land Use and Transportation Technical Advisory Committee
  • Manitowoc-Two Rivers Sewer Service Technical Advisory Committee
  • Marinette Sewer Service Area Technical Advisory Committee
  • Regional Harbor Council
  • Sheboygan Metropolitan Planning Organization Technical and Policy Advisory Committees

 

Commissioners & Staff

Commissioners:
 

Brown:

William Clancy, Toni M. Loch, Chris Swan

Door: 

Paul DeWitt,  Mariah K. Goode

Florence:

Edwin Kelley,  Bruce Osterberg, Yvonne VanPembrook

Kewaunee:

Jim Abrahamson,  Mary Hanrahan,  Charles Wagner – Vice-Chairperson

Manitowoc:

Donald Markwardt, Valerie Mellon, NyiaLong Yang

Marinette:

Alice Baumgarten, Cheryl Maxwell – Chairperson,  Mary Meyer

Oconto:

Donald Glynn,  Thomas Kussow,  Lois Trever – Secretary/Treasurer

Sheboygan:

Mike Hotz,  Ron McDonald,  Ed Procek

WI Dept. of Commerce

Sec., Richard Leinenkugel

Staff:

 

Mark A. Walter
Executive Director
mwalter"at"baylakerpc.org
Commission Work Program, Community Planning, Natural Resources, Coastal Issues

Brenda L. Rehberg 
Administrative Assistant
brehberg"at"baylakerpc.org

Jeffrey C. Agee-Aguayo
Transportation Planner III
jagee"at"baylakerpc.org
Sheboygan MPO Transportation Planning

Brandon G. Robinson
Community Assistance Planner III
brobinson"at"baylakerpc.org
Community Planning

Richard L. Heath
Assistant Director/Principal Planner
rheath"at"baylakerpc.org
Commission Work Program, Community Planning, Economic Development, Grants

Joshua W. Schedler
GIS Specialist
jschedler"at"baylakerpc.org
GIS Data & Mapping

Richard J. Malone 
Office Accounts Coordinator
rmalone"at"baylakerpc.org

James J. Van Laanen

Transportation Planner III
jvanlaan"at"baylakerpc.org
Transportation Planning, Community Planning

Angela M. Pierce
Natural Resources Planner III
apierce"at"baylakerpc.org
Natural Resources, Coastal Issues, SSA

 

 


Contact Information:

Bay-Lake Regional Planning Commission
441 South Jackson Street
Green Bay, WI 54301
Telephone: (920) 448-2820
Fax: (920) 448-2823
E-mail: info@baylakerpc.org
Website: http://www.baylakerpc.org

Copyright ©2009 Bay-Lake Regional Planning Commission. All rights reserved.