Town of York, Green County, Wisconsin
Minutes of Special Town Board/Plan Commission Meeting
Thursday, March 5, 2026
The meeting was called to order by Dan Truttmann at 6:32 pm. The meeting was held via video conference on Zoom and in person. Board Chairman Dan Truttmann, Board 1st Supervisor Travis Leonard, Board 2nd Supervisor Aaron Gifford, Plan Commission Secretary Jessica Peterson, Plan Commission members April Prusia and Charlie Umhoefer, and Clerk-Treasurer Brenda Hackbart were present; noting Plan Commission Chairman John Knicker was absent. Verification of proper notice was given.
Public Comment: Two residents attended in person and three others attended via zoom. No comments given.
Business Items:
- Discussed draft Town of York Subdivision and Platting Ordinance (a/k/a Land Division Ordinance): Members from Plan Commission and Town Board mentioned need for simplifying process to understand what is available for housing using a checklist or flowchart (creating Plan A and Plan B); possible option to ‘cluster’ multiple homes or use shared driveway; adding definitions for “splits” and “dwelling units”; deed restrictions on property lines; consider changing limits on lot size and acres; home placement goal is to minimize fragmentation of productive lands; referenced Town of Brigham ordinance; and removal of ‘flag lots’; how to track permits.
Clerk read email from John Knicker with suggested change to section 7.C.(2): “A parcel may be divided into one additional lot per 20 acres provided that any new lot created is less than 10 acres in size and contains no more than 2 acres of productive land.”
Dan Truttmann to share with town attorney for revising ordinance in preparation to work on this at next Plan Commission and Board meetings: lots located to minimize breakup (adjacent to road, field edge, natural boundaries), small lots maximum of 2.5 acre and/or restricting to 2.5 acres of productive land, clustering recommended/encouraged (adjacent to road, field edge, natural boundaries), deed restricted lot lines, flag lots not allowed, options for unproductive land if unbuildable, lot lines cannot be moved once approved.
2. Discussed draft Dark Sky Ordinance: Members from Plan Commission and Town Board discussed definitions of lighting types – farm equipment vs attached to structures and temporary (seasonal) vs nuisance or disbursed unshielded and ‘dusk to dawn’ lighting, exception for existing lighting (“grandfathered”), possible incentives for trading ‘old for new’ lighting, ordinance to bring public attention to the matter, building inspector to identify on new construction, enforcement by town, cumulative effects, illumination limits, lighting direction.
Town Board members confirmed interest in this as new ordinance but need more time to review and consider details.
Adjournment: Travis Leonard made motion to adjourn; second by Aaron Gifford. Motion carried. The meeting adjourned at 8:04 pm.
Respectfully submitted, Brenda Hackbart, Clerk-Treasurer