In the wake of a judge’s ruling that chastised the Winona County Board’s handling of committee appointments, the same County Board is gearing up to make new appointments to committees that handle important and sometimes controversial land-use decisions.
On January 5, the County Board is slated to vote on who to appoint to the Planning Commission and the Board of Adjustment (BOA) and who should be the next chair of the County Board. The chairship matters because the chair alone appoints Planning Commission members, while the full board appoints BOA members. Both bodies are called on to make important decisions that affect the environment, the economy, agriculture, and lives of local residents. These appointments are sometimes contentious, as environmentalists and property-rights supporters jockey for control of the committees. This year’s appointments come after revelations in the Daley Farm’s recent lawsuit raised new questions about the appointment process and a pending court decision could send the Daley Farm’s expansion proposal back to the BOA.