Shawano County officials will be working on a policy regulating utility infrastructure located near town, county and state roads.
In response to a question from Highway Commissioner Grant Bystol, Zoning Administrator Bob Jacobson told the Planning, Development and Zoning Committee on Wednesday that the county does not have any ordinances regulating utilities in the highway setbacks.
Jacobson and Bystol said the Highway Department recently has had to relocate utility infrastructure whenever road reconstruction work has been done. The cost to the county to move the infrastructure has cut into the Highway Department’s budget, Bystol said.
An ordinance “would force the utilities to contact and work with us,” Bystol said. “Right now, we’re noticing a lot of utility companies relocating their facilities just a few feet outside our right-of-way and not contacting us.”
Utility companies currently are required to contact the Highway Department only when utility lines have to be placed within the right-of-way, not the setbacks, Bystol said.
For example, if lines have to go across a county road, utility officials have to contact the county and get a permit to begin work.
The county right-of-way is 33 feet from the center of the road. The setback is an additional 65 feet on each side of the road on county roads and 75 feet on state highways, according to Jacobson.
Bystol got approval from the Highway and Parks Committee in August to pursue a possible amendment to the zoning code with the Planning Department, and the PDZ Committee voted Wednesday to support the effort.
According to Jacobson, neighboring Outagamie and Waupaca counties have regulations that look like they could be used in Shawano County.
“The utilities would be moved at the expense of the (utility) owner, not the Highway Department,” Jacobson said.
The county will also look at a policy for towns to adopt, as well, as the Highway Department works under contract with many towns for their road work, Bystol said.
A draft policy could come back to the committee in late 2013 or early 2014 as part of an amendment to the zoning code.
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