Recently media outlets cited data showing that building permits for new homes rose in 5 of Wisconsin’s metro areas. The data show that permits for the month of April were up 15.3% over April of 2011 and up eleven percent year-to-date, compared to the same period last year.

“This is what we’ve been waiting to see,” said Jerry Deschane, Executive Vice President of the Wisconsin Builders Association. “The recession has been officially over for many months, unemployment has been dropping, interest rates are at an all-time low, and our members have been telling us all spring that they are seeing more customer traffic. What has been missing is the statistical proof that the housing industry is finally starting to recover in Wisconsin. Today that proof has been revealed.”

According to the data cited this morning, 286 homes have been permitted for construction so far this year in Wisconsin’s larger metro areas, compared to 248 from the previous year. Deschane points out that, while the numbers are modest, that increase will be felt in Wisconsin’s economy. “Every new home provides work for three full time employees. The 85-home increase over last year means that an additional 255 Wisconsin construction workers are on the job again.  And, at an average value of $200,000 per home, Wisconsin will see an additional investment of $1.7 million by Wisconsin families.”

The Builders cautioned that the recovery is fragile and will take time to gather momentum. Wisconsin is not likely to fully recover to pre-recession levels for at least two years. “But every recovery has to start somewhere, and after the biggest housing slowdown since the Depression, Wisconsin builders, workers, taxpayers and homeowners are glad to see that day has finally arrived.”

After two full days and nights of education, fun and networking, WBA members shifted into “meeting mode” and experienced the new WBA General membership meeting (GMM) format. As part of the recommendation for governance changes studied in 2011, what was known as “Board Day” has now evolved into a format of less meetings and more meat for members ~not the chewy kind of course!

Instead of beaucoup committees that bog everyone down and sometimes only supplied repetitive information, the emphasis of the day has been restructured to provide more value to members who take the time out of their business day to travel and attend.

Two concurrent forums were held for one hour each, one with an emphasis on Government Affairs, and one with an emphasis on business development.

The GA meeting featured special guest Wisconsin Department of Administration Secretary Mike Huebsch.

The Member Forum welcomed Tom Snyder, from Trivera Interactive, on “Managing Social Media.”

At the Annual Member Meeting members in attendance were treated to an appearance by special guest Mark Neumann, candidate for U.S. Senate. Next was a presentation by Craig Rakowski on the importance of supporting Gov. Walker,  followed by a review of the 2011 activities of the association  by WBA Executive Vice President Jerry Deschane, CAE, IOM. Next up Craig came back to give an update on the financial condition of WBA. The election of directors was moved to the next WBA Board meeting on May 3.

At the Annual Board of Directors meeting issues on the agenda included nominations of Senior officers and national representatives, a recommendation from the endorsement committee to endorse Gov. Scott Walker and Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch in a likely recall election and nomination of Tim O’Brien and Mike Richie and WBA Foundation Trustees.

A main topic of discussion was the vote on the proposed bylaw revisions.  We’ll be sure to let you know what happened!

Members can look forward to a continuation of this format for the 2012 GMMs, all again held at Chula Vista Resort. Upcoming dates are May 3, July 19,  (come to the golf outing on July 18!) and October 4.

The state is taking applications for what it hopes will be 250,000 acres of “Agricultural Enterprise Areas,” to be selected next year. Ag Enterprise Areas are locally-nominated and state-designated tracts that receive special tax benefits in exchange for ag-only land use restrictions. In the past, the state designated over 300,000 acres for special treatment. By law, it may designate up to 1 million acres in total. (There’s about 35 million acres of land in Wisconsin; just over 10 million of that is currently dedicated to agriculture.)

Because the Ag Enterprise Area law stresses viability and size, designation is typically NOT an issue for areas adjacent to municipalities or otherwise likely to be viable for development. However, where there is money and the desire to stop development, anything is possible. WBA will continue to send out information as we receive it, but it’s up to members at the local level to decide whether a proposed ag enterprise area in your county makes sense or is a threat to development.
-Jerry Deschane, CAE, WBA Executive Vice President

PRESS RELEASE: From Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection

Contact: Jane H. Larson, jane.larson@wisconsin.gov, 608/224-5005
Jim Dick, Communications Director, james.dick@wisconsin.gov, 608/224-5020

MADISON – Now is the time for local governments and farmers interested in protecting their agricultural land base and strengthening their rural economy to apply for the 2012 Agricultural Enterprise Area (AEA) designation. Receiving designation as an AEA can encourage additional investment in the local economy; create a sense of certainty about the future of agriculture in the community, and enable farmers to claim an income tax credit for eligible land.

“Establishment of AEAs is an approach to create an area of land that not only supports agricultural production, but that also supports agricultural service and processing sectors,” said Ben Brancel, Secretary of the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection. “We need a balance between all of these sectors to ensure a successful agricultural industry.”

Brancel reminds that agriculture supports 1 in 10 jobs in Wisconsin and is a $59 billion dollar industry. “When communities seek this designation, they should consider the variety of things that can be done locally to ensure these areas are viable for the future,” advises Brancel.

The department’s goal is to designate 250,000 additional acres throughout Wisconsin as agricultural enterprise areas as part of the 2012 petition cycle. To date, 17 areas totaling 340,000 acres have been designated as AEAs. The state has the authority to designate up to 1,000,000 acres total.

Farmers and local governments jointly develop a petition for an AEA. More than 400 landowners, 14 counties and 39 towns worked together to develop the 17 petitions that were selected in 2010 and 2011. Go to datcp.wi.gov/Environment/Working_Lands_Initiative/AEA/index.aspx to learn more about the designated AEAs in Wisconsin and to use the new interactive map of the areas.

The AEA petition materials are available online at: http://workinglands.wi.gov, then click on the link to Agricultural Enterprise Areas. Applicants should use the materials for 2012 as there are changes from last year. Petitions must be postmarked by March 30, 2012.

Interested individuals can attend free workshops set for January 2012 to receive guidance on the process for receiving this designation. Registration is available online at https://datcpservices.wisconsin.gov/confreg/AEAworkshops.jsp or call (608) 224-4625.

The workshops will be from 10:00 am until 2:30 p.m. at the following locations:

• Madison: Thursday, Jan. 12, Board Room, 1^st floor, DATCP, 2811 Agriculture Dr.

• Black River Falls: Tuesday, Jan. 17, East Room, lower level, DNR Service Center, 910 Hwy. 54 East

• Oshkosh: Thursday, Jan. 19, J.P. Coughlin Center, 625 E. County Road Y

“The department hosted an AEA forum in September where existing AEAs shared ideas on what worked as they developed their petition and how they’re moving forward,” explained Coreen Fallat, AEA program manager. “We’ll be able to share these experiences at the upcoming workshops as we review the petition process and AEA program basics.”

For more information about AEAs, contact AEA Program Manager Coreen Fallat at Coreen.Fallat@wisconsin.gov or (608) 224-4625.
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 Last Wednesday in Madison was a shining example of Prussian statesman Otto Von Bismarck’s famous advice: Laws are like sausages; if you like sausages, it’s better not to watch them being made. Yesterday’s lawmaking process was sausage-making at its best. Or perhaps, at its worst. (Or, should I say, at its “wurst”? Sorry, couldn’t resist.)

The day’s political bratfest was a hearing on a proposal to reform the way the DNR issues a variety of permits. (Special Session Senate Bill 24 and Special Session Assembly Bill 24.) The Wisconsin Builders Association supports the idea because, believe it or not, one day in the not too distant future, the economy will recover, and we will need stormwater permits, grading permits, zoning permits, and the other government-issued “mother-may-I’s” associated with land development. The issuance of those permits in a timely way is critical to our members’ ability to put people back to work in an industry that lost one out of every three jobs during the Greatest Recession. And, as any economist worth his calculator will tell you, the economy won’t fully recover until housing fully recovers.

The bill has some controversial elements. It requires the DNR to issue certain permits within a specified number of days (about a month in most cases). A permit not acted on within a month would be considered approved. The purpose of this “presumptive approval” is not to sneak permits through the process. The DNR is allowed to say no to a permit. The purpose is to get to an answer, so that the business can get on with the project, or get on with a new direction.
There were opponents (apparently the notion of there being consequences for not getting your work done on time is controversial in Madison). I sat and watched a parade of people invent all manner of excuses why a permitting deadline can’t work, shouldn’t work, and violated the state and federal Constitution. I didn’t hear anyone claim it was a violation of the Ten Commandments or the Law of Gravity, but I did have to step out for a phone call; I may have missed it.

One of the arguments that frustrated me the most was the argument that DNR staff are overworked, and therefore cannot be expected to adhere to an “arbitrary” deadline. How did this particular speaker know that DNR staff are overworked? Because the staff told him so. DNR managers didn’t tell him that; DNR managers were testifying in support of the bill. But what do they know?

Along with the presumptive approval, the bill gives the DNR flexibility to adopt “general permits,” which require less time to process and review, and which have a DNR-proven track record of success. In fact, in many areas, general permits improve environmental quality, while they speed up the business of bureaucracy. General permits have clearly-specified rules and restrictions and the DNR has found that property owners are more than happy to abide by rules and restrictions that they can understand.

This bill lets the DNR issue more general permits, which will reduce the workload on DNR staff. But the bill is bad, because staff are overworked.

Get it? Want relish with that schnitzel?

Jerry Deschane is the WBA Executive Vice President

Photo used with permission by DanPeters, Flickr CC

We are pleased to announce an exciting new initiative, the WBA Member Rebate Program, through which the country’s leading Manufacturers pay rebates as their way of thanking our members for being loyal to their products. You may already be using many of these products, so why not get paid a rebate for something you’re already doing? This program is just another example of how being a WBA member helps your company be more profitable.

Nobody likes paperwork, so we’ve worked hard to keep paperwork to a minimum and keep the process simple. When you register, you simply indicate which of the eligible manufacturers you already use. Then, on a quarterly basis, as you report the number of homes or products that were completed, our program administrator does the work of notifying the manufacturers, collecting your money, and mailing your quarterly rebate check.

Now, here’s the important information on why you have to act now. If you register and claim before November 23^rd, you will be eligible for rebates on the products you installed in all the homes or remodeling projects completed from April 1^st – September 30th! But you have to act now. Don’t wait, you must register and fill out the rebate claim forms by November 23^rd or you will jeopardize your rebate check.

The program registration form and rebate claim forms are available by clicking on this link: WBA Member Rebate Program Newsletter, or go online to register.  Please help us spread the word on this outstanding free WBA member benefit. We want to get as many members registered and collecting ASAP.

Your consistent support of WBA through your association membership makes this program possible. It’s just another one of the many benefits of belonging to WBA, the voice of the housing industry in Wisconsin.

Thank You,

Jerry Deschane, CAE – Executive Officer

WBA Member Rebate Program – www.HBArebates.com