CP: Dispute Resolution Subcommittee

The Intergovernmental Cooperation Element, as described in the Comprehensive Planning Law, requires the identification of existing or potential conflicts between local governmental units and to describe a process to resolve such conflicts.

In 2004, the Washington County Board of Supervisors, in recognizing the importance of intergovernmental cooperation and to continue the cooperation between the county and local municipalities, established a dispute resolution process as a forum to address and resolve conflicts. Interested municipalities would enter into an appropriate intergovernmental agreement to voluntarily participate in this dispute resolution process in an effort to reduce or avoid expenditures of valuable taxpayer dollars.

In the 2004 Resolution 35, the County Board resolved to establish a fair and just quasi-judicial multi-jurisdictional dispute resolution forum to resolve multi-jurisdictional conflicts regarding amendments to adopted comprehensive plans and issues resulting from such adoption. The County Board resolution describes the dispute resolution body consisting of a total of six individuals that would be selected by the disputing parties and would be drawn from a pool of representatives depending on the conflict presented to the body.

The Multi-jurisdictional Advisory Committee is charged with the responsibility of developing the procedures and by-laws to guide the body in its consideration of the issues presented and the decision-making process in which it engages. A Dispute Resolution Forum Subcommittee has been established to develop these procedures and by-laws.

Dispute Resolution Forum Subcommittee Members
Matt Heiser, Village of Kewaskum
Jim Bennett, Town of Hartford
Chris Kuehn, Town of Wayne
Brian Bausch, County Board Supervisor
Ron Hefter, Town of Addison
Barb Renkas, City of West Bend
Dan Knodl, County Board Supervisor
Leander Herriges, Town of Wayne
David Nixon, University of Wisconsin - Washington County
Justin Drew, City of Hartford
(City of West Bend Local Government Official Representative TBA)