At its regularly scheduled meeting on Sept. 16, the Oneida County Board of Supervisors shot down an ordinance proposed by the county's Land and Water Conservation Committee (LWC) which would have regulated the use of lake water during common maintenance procedures used by fire departments in the county. 

Jennifer Holman, the county's aquatic invasive species (AIS) coordinator created, over the past year, a new protocol for regulating the use of so-called dry fire hydrants in the county and made the presentation to the board.

At issue is the common practice of flushing so-called dry fire hydrants which sit beside many area lakes and provide conduits for sucking lake water into tanker trucks used by area fire departments.

Screens on these hydrants often become blocked with debris and are flushed periodically to open them. Holman became aware that the practice, which stores water in a tanker truck from one lake, is often used to flush another lake's hydrant and thus provides the potential for transporting AIS in the process. Holman told the supervisors that this is a means of spreading AIS that has not been considered before.

Board supervisor and LWC member Gary Baier led the effort to defeat the ordinance, which would have outlawed the practice. Baier said that although he had supported and signed off on the proposed ordinance on Aug. 19, he had since heard from his town's fire chief (Wayne Kinnally of Nokomis).

Baier said Kinnally told him that the fire chiefs had had a meeting and wanted to know why they, a volunteer group, were being "singled out" with the ordinance. "My fire chief said he'd be happy to have a policy but I think we've gone over the edge on this and I'll be voting 'no'."

Supervisor Scott Holewinski said that he agreed with Baier and wondered how the fines in the ordinance would affect enrollment in town fire departments. "The way I read this, if they do something wrong here, the volunteer could be fined $500 or the town could be fined $500 up to $1,000. How long are you going to keep volunteers on fire departments when one part of government creates rules and fines to penalize the other part of government?" he said.

Holewinski then turned his criticism towards Holman. He said that instead of creating new ordinances to deal with AIS in the county, Holman should be concentrating on education.

"When I look at the job description for Ms. Holman here, she's supposed to go out and educate. I didn't know she was going to go out and create fines and ordinances for everyone in this county." His remark referred to another ordinance recently passed by the board which made the transport of AIS from waterbody to waterbody, especially on boats, illegal in the county (see the NNN article for details).

Board supervisor Patricia Peters agreed, saying to Holman, "Since you're supposed to be educating people, I picked this up in a bar in St. Germain. It's a beer coaster that's printed by the St. Germain Lakes Association. This is a good way, 'cause most fishermen will go to a bar. This is education; you should try some of this stuff."

Holewinski continued his criticism of Holman. He said she had not approached his fire department in Sugar Camp to explain the proposed new ordinance. "I don't think anyone knows this is happening," he said.

Holman defended the process she had used for creating the ordinance, pointing to a timetable starting in the spring of 2008, where she had engaged local fire chiefs through meetings, letters and phone calls with the assistance of Brian Gehrig, the president of the Oneida County Fire Chiefs and Emergency Services Organization.

Gehrig later confirmed this and also said that at the group's last meeting on Sept. 10, the dry fire hydrant issue was discussed but that none of the chiefs present seemed concerned about it.

"I don't think you understand the support I've received on this," Hollman told her critics. "I am not here to point a finger at our local fire departments. I've included them in this process from the beginning." 

Holman added, "If we pass this ordinance, it will bring national recognition and a way to bring research funding into this county, because not one person, even at the federal level, had thought about it before.

"I can tell you that now," she warned, "if we don't take action, within one to three years, the federal and state agencies will."

Holman said it was the county's job to protect county citizens and their property investments. She pointed to a recently-published, 10-year study which showed that property values in Vilas County had been reduced by $30,000 per waterfront parcel when there was Eurasian watermilfoil—an invasive, present in the waterbody abutting the property.

Baier said, "We're going to be the first county to ever have such a thing, right? Is that what we want to do? To try and build a stumping glide for you to be traveling to all these other counties across the state? And that has been happening—you've been in Madison how many times?" he said with a raised voice.

"What are you talking about?" asked Holman. "I've never been to Madison once."

Supervisor David O'Melia interjected, stopping Baier from continuing his personal attack. "She's not on trial here."

Supervisor Frank Greb, however, continued the interrogation of Holman. "Don't we already have an ordinance that prohibits the transportation of AIS in the county? Yes or no: that's all I want you for."

When Holman attempted to explain that the current ordinance regulated a different aspect of the spread of AIS, Greb interrupted her. "Give me an answer. Yes? This idea of doubling up on ordinances is ridiculous," he said, tapping his pencil against his desk.

Although Holman was not permitted to explain, O'Melia facilitated an explanation by bringing Oneida County Corporation Counsel Brian Desmond into the discussion. Desmond told board members that the two ordinances were different.

O'Melia said, "I think some feelings are being hurt here." He  reminded the other members of the board that they had been "hammering on" invasive species for the past 18 months. "Policies are policies, but where's the teeth to it? What is so intrusive about this?" he asked. "I think this is outstanding work on her part," he added.

Newbold Fire Chief Tom Waydick, reached later by telephone, said that knowing about the threat of spreading AIS through the flushing process was all he needed to stop the practice because, he said, "We all live here, too." Although he didn't feel the new ordinance was necessary for compliance, he lauded Holman's efforts, echoing O'Melia's praise at the board meeting, "I give her all the credit in the world for coming to the meetings and letting the chiefs know," Waydick said.

To see the resolution which includes the ordinance, click here.