By Kevin Boneske
Staff Writer
SUAMICO – An ordinance amendment regulating the use of firearms in the village received final approval on its second reading Monday, April 19, by the Suamico village board.
Zoning Administrator Steve Dunks said the amendment will affect how the village administers additions to its no firearms discharge map.
“It’s more lenient than what we have on the books today,” he said.
The village’s Health and Safety Committee recommended using a definition of a recorded land division, rather than a subdivision.
When the board held the first reading on the amendment two weeks earlier, Dunks said new land divisions resulting in lots of 2 acres in size or less upon their recording, whether subdivisions or certified survey maps, would be designated as areas where the discharge of firearms is prohibited.
The amendment also allows the board to reserve the right to include additional lands to prohibit firearms use, as referred by public safety and reviewed by the committee, with the affected property owners being notified prior to the committee meeting.
Dunks said the committee wants to include a number of smaller lots on the no firearms discharge map upon the ordinance being amended, and proposed changes to the map for this year will be brought forward to the committee for its review and recommendations.
However, he said the amended ordinance won’t be retroactive to automatically place lots currently not included in the no firearms discharge map.
Areas the board hasn’t designated on the map will be governed by the current edition of state hunting regulations as issued by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, according to the amended ordinance.
Impact fees
In other action, the board approved an ordinance to repeal and replace a chapter of the municipal code related to impact fees.
Village Administrator Alex Kaker said the ordinance is being revised to align with state statutes, as a condition of the Wisconsin Public Service Commission in 2019 approving a water rate increase in Suamico.
Kaker said the ordinance revision clarifies the payment of fees, the appeal process and the time limits for which the impact fees may be used or extended by the board.