Agricultural and Rural Affairs Committee Meeting – October 21, 2025

The Agricultural and Rural Affairs Committee of the City of Fitchburg met on October 21, 2025, to consider a farm consolidation proposal and updates to the farmland preservation plan map. The meeting included approval of previous minutes, public appearances, staff reports, and committee discussion.

Consent Calendar

• Unanimous approval of the meeting minutes from August 19, 2025.

Public Comments & Testimony

• No public appearances were made for non‑agenda items.
• Later during the meeting, an audience member asked about the farmland preservation tax credits and a potential funding opportunity for conservation easements, referencing a Dane County pilot program. City Planner Deanna Schmidt stated she would investigate the grant program further.

Discussion Items

• Farm Consolidation (Items 5A–5C – 2160 Fitchburg Road): Jim Classy introduced the requests on behalf of Daryl Hageman to separate a one‑acre lot (Lot 1) from the larger Farm 90 parcel. The lot would be sold to Shane Daffles for a farmhouse and farm support. City Planner Deanna Schmidt presented the three related actions: a Certified Survey Map (CSM) to create the lot, a rezone from exclusive agriculture (AX) to rural residential (RR), and a conditional use permit for the farm consolidation. Staff recommended approval with conditions (14 for the CSM, 3 for the rezone, 4 for the conditional use). The committee discussed the location of existing farm buildings, a shared well easement, and allocation of four existing claims. Each item was voted on separately and approved unanimously.
• Farmland Preservation Plan Map Amendments (Item 5D – Resolution R‑187‑25): Deanna Schmidt explained the need to update the city’s farmland preservation map to match all parcels zoned AX in preparation for state certification of the AX zoning ordinance in 2026. The updates remove parcels no longer zoned AX or ineligible for farmland preservation tax credits (approximately $10/acre). The map distinguishes medium‑term (20+ years) and long‑term (30+ years) preservation areas, consistent with the county’s criteria and the city’s neighborhood plans. Discussion clarified that the timeframes do not start a clock and that tax credits are not affected by the medium/long designation. The committee approved the map as presented.
• Departmental Reports: Deanna Schmidt reported that the Plan Commission reviewed plans for a new Department of Corrections juvenile facility on the city’s southeast side, which will be submitted for a CSM next month. She also noted that a land‑based condo plat in Verona falls outside the city’s extraterritorial jurisdiction over subdivisions. Road project updates: Fitcherona Road construction has been delayed a year for additional sanitary line engineering, and Lacey Road near Edgewood College also faced schedule delays.

Key Outcomes

• Approved minutes of the August 19, 2025 meeting unanimously.
• Approved Certified Survey Map (CS2615‑25) with conditions (unanimous).
• Approved Rezone (RZ‑2614‑25) from AX to RR (unanimous).
• Approved Conditional Use Permit (CU‑2613‑25) for farm consolidation (unanimous).
• Approved Farmland Preservation Plan Map Amendments (Resolution R‑187‑25) unanimously.
• Committee directed staff to follow up on the Dane County Agricultural Conservation Easement Pilot Program (application deadline November 21, 2025).
• Meeting adjourned.