University of Wisconsin - Extension

STEVENS POINT, Wis.—Across the nation, public employers are developing strategies to deal with the retirement of baby boomers and the challenges of workforce succession. To help county zoning offices throughout Wisconsin minimize non-retirement employee turnover, the Wisconsin County Code Administrators (WCCA) is collaborating with University of Wisconsin-Extension staff at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point to create a new leadership program aimed at younger, lesser experienced staff who are interested in climbing the career ladder of county zoning and code enforcement.

According to Eric Olson, land use specialist for the Center for Land Use Education (CLUE) at UW-Stevens Point, county zoning offices are particularly vulnerable to retirements. Many counties first developed their zoning staffs in the early 1970s as a result of newly mandated water laws in Wisconsin that required shoreland and floodplain zoning. Those who initially helped craft and implement these rules have either retired or plan to retire soon, and they’re taking a great deal of practical knowledge and skill with them.

CLUE staff conducted a workforce profile of the state’s county zoning offices in the spring of 2005 and found that the portion of county zoning staff with less than five years of experience may double from 12 percent to 24 percent by 2010, which is also the state’s comprehensive planning deadline. Counties will also be facing likely changes to the state’s shoreland zoning program in this time period. In addition, there is a growing trend of increasing county workload in many programs where federal or state agency cuts have directed responsibilities to the counties. Also, retirements will likely further fuel an already hot market for rural lands, especially in and around sensitive lake and wetland resources.

“The next five years are going to be a challenging period of transition and change in land use planning, zoning and resource management,” said Olson.

To address these demographic workforce changes, CLUE is planning a series of educational retreats. The seminars will consist of four multi-day sessions between December 2006 and March 2007. The sessions will take place at various Central Wisconsin locations and are designed to help participants develop interpersonal skills that are hard to teach in a school setting, but are essential for being effective in a challenging workplace.

Olson said that planning for the program involved not only experienced code administrators and extension educators, but also professionals from the Wisconsin Builders Association who rely on zoning staff to manage land use permitting and inspection programs. According to Timothy Semmann, director of safety and education for Wisconsin Builders, “Builders benefit from a skilled and knowledgeable zoning staff, and they especially value staff that can communicate clearly and effectively. A well-functioning zoning office can help reduce confusion and save a builder time.”

Dick Mace, former president for the Wisconsin County Code Administrators, stresses that the program is not meant to duplicate whatever classroom learning a zoning staff person might have.

“We purposefully focused on a set of skills that would be needed in just about any county in the state,” Mace said. “Listening skills, conflict management and effective speaking are traits that people can either slowly accumulate or, what we hope to promote, be rapidly honed and exercised so that newer staff are ready to climb the career ladder.”

The WCCA and UW-Extension are inviting applications from county zoning offices across the state and plan to repeat the seminars in 2008 if demand is high. The deadline for applying is September 15. Application information and more program details can be found on the WCCA Web site, http://www.wccadm.com.

More information on the 2005 zoning workforce survey can be found online at [http://www.uwsp.edu/cnr/landcenter/tracker/fall2005/zoningworkforce.html ]or contact Eric Olson at eolson@uwsp.edu, (715) 346-2278.