A new amendment to Marinette County’s zoning code could require the county to at least consider proposed metallic mining activity versus barring it altogether. At a special Development Committee meeting Monday, members voted to rescind a previous recommendation to the County Board to place an 18-month moratorium on the development of non-ferrous metallic mines within Marinette County. County Administrator John Lefebvre says after consulting with the Wisconsin Counties Association, he felt amending the zoning code in all three of the county’s districts to include language classifying metallic mining as a prohibited use except as allowed by a local agreement would be a better solution.
Lefebvre went on to add that the Counties Association expressed some concern that an outright ban on metallic mining could be viewed as the county overstepping the bounds of their authority.
The Development Committee unanimously approved the amendment to prohibit metallic mining unless a local agreement can first be reached. The full County Board will take up the issue on May 29th.