Selling the farm

It has been part of Shawano County government since the county operated a poor farm and asylum starting in the early 1900s. The old county farm property in the town of Belle Plaine could soon be up for sale, as county officials aim to dispose of surplus real estate and raise money. Members of the Shawano County Board later this month will consider a proposal to seek buyers for an estimated 120-acre portion of the farm, located along state Highway 22 just south of Shawano. The sale could generate nearly $500,000 for the county, by some estimates, while also putting valuable acreage back on the tax rolls by getting it out of government hands. The idea of selling the longstanding county asset is drawing mixed early reactions among some county leaders. County Board Chairman Jerry Erdmann said he favors putting the property up for sale, as well as other surplus real estate for which county government has no real need. Erdmann said the proceeds could be used to fix up the county courthouse or make other improvements. “We’ve got so many projects we could be doing,” he said. “It’s something we have to look at.” County Supervisor Robert Krause opposes the idea of selling the old farm property, largely because the county leases it to a farmer who pays rent. Selling the farm, Krause said, would be an act of “shortsightedness” that could end up costing the county in the long run. “Once you sell it, it’s gone forever,” he said. “I’m totally against this.” Krause is chairman of the county’s agriculture, extension and conservation committee, which will consider the farm sale on Thursday and make a recommendation to the County Board. The county’s public property committee voted last week to endorse the move, along with the sale of two smaller county properties near Wittenberg and Bonduel. The County Board is scheduled to consider the proposal at its Jan. 27 meeting. The county farm, which is more than 300 acres in total, includes public recreational areas south of Highway 22 and agricultural uses north of Highway 22. The proposed sale involves the entire northern tract, minus one section that is possibly wetlands. Shawano County acquired the property in the early 1900s when county officials decided to develop facilities to house the mentally ill and indigent. The result was a farm where the county’s neediest citizens lived and worked on crop production while being supported on public assistance. According to county historical records, the farm began in 1911 and continued operating until 1997 when county leaders closed it down and auctioned off all the equipment. The county maintained a mental health center there, but that facility was converted into the Maple Lane senior citizen nursing home, which the county sold to private owners in 2010. The vast acreage surrounding the nursing home is currently leased to a private farmer whose rent payments are used to fund maintenance on the county fairgrounds property to the tune of $35,000 a year. If the county elects to put the farmland up for sale, Steve Dreher, the county’s building maintenance director, said he suspects the real estate would draw interest from potential buyers eyeing both the agricultural value and the redevelopment possibilities. “I’m assuming there would be plenty of people,” Dreher said. Krause said quality farmland is drawing at least $4,000 an acre, which would make the county’s 120-acre farm worth $480,000. Belle Plaine Town Chairman Alvin Bartz said he was unaware the county was considering selling the property. Bartz questioned the wisdom of unloading such a valuable asset, adding that he believes town residents would oppose any effort to develop the land. “I think that would be a poor choice,” Bartz said. Some county officials have discussed offering the farm for sale at an auction. Erdmann said he has long supported selling real estate that serves no county government purpose, and that keeps land off the tax rolls because any government-owned property is tax exempt. “Let’s see what we can do with it,” the chairman said. “Let’s sell it and get it back on the tax rolls.” Krause agreed that the county could use some extra money, but he said officials had been talking about offering other property for sale — not the old county farm. Krause was surprised to learn that the public property committee had reconsidered the farm sale. “I thought they were going in a different direction,” he said. “I don’t know how they came up with this.”