Ed Eberle, Administrator for the Wisconsin Department of Administration (DOA) Division of Intergovernmental Relations, sent a message (see below) to the Wisconsin land information community yesterday afternoon seeking input on a proposed “strategic initiative” grant process for Wisconsin counties. DOA is seeking input from stakeholders by July 11, 2014.
In his letter, Mr. Eberle references a concept document for Wisconsin Land Information Program Strategic Initiative grants. In brief, the concept paper calls for an additional $50,000 in grants to be distributed to counties, provided they meet certain strategic objectives and grant agreement conditions. The strategic objectives would be developed through a “participatory planning process,” presumably before the grant program is implemented. Grant agreement conditions could include a requirement for open data sharing, a local cost match, and/or a requirement for multi-jurisdictional projects.
The letter makes it clear this is simply a starting point for the concept, and DOA welcomes widespread input on the proposal.
The upcoming Wisconsin Land Information Association regional meeting in the Wisconsin Dells will be the first major event during which the proposal will be discussed. This is the start of an important conversation that will shape geospatial activities for many years to come, so I strongly encourage you to get involved!
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Ed Eberle
May 15, 2014
Dear Land Information Stakeholders:
We continue to move forward in planning the Statewide Parcel Map Initiative and would like your input on the next phase of the project. Today we are releasing the Statewide Parcel Map Initiative – Planning Process Framework, a concept document which proposes funding Strategic Initiative grants.
To review some of our progress so far, in April we announced the Memorandum of Understanding signed with the State Cartographer’s Office (SCO) for the “Version 1 Statewide Parcel Map Database Project,” which will begin July 2014 and build upon successful collaboration between the Department of Administration and SCO in the LinkWISCONSIN EBM Parcel Mapping Project.
As we have stated, parcels are our first focus—in particular helping counties meet the statutory requirements to post certain parcel information online by 2017. The Version 1 Project will be focused on this objective. It will achieve tangible results in the form of a public statewide parcel map and will lay the basis for establishing quantitative short-term and long-term parcel benchmarks. Yet the Version 1 Project is only one aspect of the larger Parcel Initiative.
As such, we are offering the framework of Strategic Initiative grants as a way to prioritize statewide objectives and the allocation of WLIP funding to achieve those objectives. The Statewide Parcel Map Initiative – Planning Process Framework document, available atwww.doa.state.wi.us/wlip, outlines a participatory planning process for the land information community to provide guidance on county obligations that might accompany future proposed Strategic Initiative grants.
To be clear, no new WLIP grant funding decisions have been finalized yet. We are asking for your feedback and comments as part of this process. For those organizations or entities representing stakeholder groups, we invite you to submit letters on behalf of your organization or common resolutions responding to the Strategic Initiative grant concept by July 11, 2014.
My staff will also be available to discuss this document at the WLIA spring regional meeting and during upcoming county visits, which are part of our commitment to maintain two-way communication throughout the Parcel Initiative. In addition, we will soon be conducting the 2014 WLIP county survey, with state agency and other stakeholder outreach to follow.
As always, also feel free to contact Program Manager Mike Friis (608-267-7982) or Grant Administrator Peter Herreid (608-267-3369) with any questions or comments.
/s/
Ed Eberle