Campground Workgroup Items 08/03/2021 (2)

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We also note that the moratorium seems completely at odds with the County's Comprehensive Plan. Chapter 6 of your Plan notes, repeatedly, that tourism is a major contributor to Burnett County's economy. Forty two percent of your tourism revenues come during the summer. Campgrounds are the largest and fastest growing element of summer tourism in Wisconsin. We urge Burnett County not to adopt any extension of the moratorium. You should allow it to expire. Instead,let's work together to identify how campgrounds can contribute to Burnett County. The propaganda being shared by the anti-campground group is shrill, misleading and unfair. A few points need to be made: WACO does not urge any community to approve more campgrounds than the local communities and resources can handle. If there are too many campgrounds being proposed, or they are too large,the County has the zoning power to refuse to approve them. Campgrounds do not create a burden on local governments. They generate few calls for service. Their guests do not require Human Services expenditures. There are many campgrounds with hundreds of sites which rarely see a Sheriff's Department response. The opponents paint an unfair portrait of campgrounds. They mock RV units. In fact, RV units are well built recreational lodging. Every RV unit is built to a high-quality national code. They are built better than many resort cabins which used to line Wisconsin lakes. They are not cheap. When people buy their RVs,they pay a great deal of sale tax to buy them. People who can afford an RV have money to spend, and they do. In fact, campgrounds are today's version of the resort. The opponents display an all-too-common NIMBY attitude. They suggest that it would be better to have site-built resorts or houses. Well, my practice involves a great deal of land use work throughout Wisconsin. I know what happens when people propose building houses or commercial development. These same negative voices would be just as opposed to any new neighbors, not just campgrounds. If you give in to that kind of negativity, you will see the civilian labor force in Burnett County continue to decline. With all due respect, the lakes and rivers throughout Wisconsin belong to the entire state. Access to lakes and rivers is provided by the Wisconsin Constitution and Statutes. Our state is a community. We all share the burdens and benefits of government. 2