Under most circumstances this would not be much of a problem as staff from larger counties may be willing to move in order to progress up the career ladder. This process of workforce succession works best when the number of retirees is relatively stable and predictable; people throughout the system can move up the ladder simultaneously. The situation becomes more challenging when a large number of people retire at the same time, creating "gaps" in the chain of succession somewhere along the ladder.

Like many workforces in Wisconsin, county zoning offices are faced with the challenge of replacing retiring Baby Boomers. This challenge is compounded in Wisconsin counties because of an historic event that served to rapidly expand the workforce in the early 1970s. The 1965 Wisconsin Water Resources Act included a provision requiring all Wisconsin counties to implement a shoreland and floodplain zoning program beginning in 1968. Over the course of the late 1960s and early 1970s, many counties hired their first zoning administrators. Now, thirty-five years later, many of those who began working in the 1970s are looking to implement their retirement plans.

Working with a small grant from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (UWSP), CLUE hired students to contact Wisconsin counties with zoning staff to learn more about the workforce and the scale of potential retirement waves. We contacted nearly 160 county zoning staff, anyone who had actual responsibility for administering zoning and land use codes. Our results indicated that 25% of the workforce planned to retire or leave the workforce for other reasons within 5 years. As one might expect, those leaving the workforce were taking with them a wealth of experience in the field of zoning administration. The average length of service for those planning to retire within 5 years (n=39) was well over 20 years.

To address this challenge, UWEX convened meetings in 2006 inviting members of the Wisconsin County Code Administrators (WCCA), retired zoning officials, and former UWEX staff. Representatives from the Wisconsin Builders Association (WBA) were also invited, as they too had a stake in a stable and well-functioning system of county zoning offices. These groups brainstormed a number of strategies to deal with the workforce challenge, including mentorship programs and enhanced education offerings at the UWSP College of Natural Resources. They settled on the idea of a leadership development program as a concerted and focused means for enabling new zoning staff to face the challenges of future turnover with confidence.

The leadership program was designed to cultivate networking and "soft skills" needed to navigate the contentious world of local land use regulation. A draft program was sketched out to include four multi-day sessions, each building on the previous meeting. Expenses largely entailed food and accommodations for participants and educators. The planning team sought out locations such as retreat centers where such costs could be kept to a minimum. The total cost for four three-day, two-night programs was estimated at $600 per participant. The planning team was able to work with the Wisconsin DNR to secure educational funding for roughly half of the program cost. The WCCA covered 25% of the program through money raised at conferences, and the remaining costs were covered by participating counties. Those counties were also asked to cover the time and travel of their employees enrolling in the program.

The sessions kicked off at the Central Wisconsin Environmental Station near Amherst. The program focused on the history and development of Wisconsin�s land use and zoning programs. A round-table discussion featured several county zoning administrators with over three decades of experience on the job, as well as Richard Lehmann, a land use attorney who worked for UWEX in the 1970s to help coordinate training and development among the first generation of zoning administrators. Dr. John Kusler was a special guest who came from New York to discuss Wisconsin�s land use history. Now Executive Director of the Association of State Wetland Managers, Dr. Kusler was a prot�g� of Jake Beuscher, the legendary UW Law School professor responsible for writing much of the Water Resources Act. Kusler also worked as a UWEX educator in the 1960s and 1970s, assisting counties to implement the zoning components of the Act. The insights shared at this roundtable gave the new zoning staff a deep appreciation for the history of their field and the leadership role that Wisconsin has long maintained in balancing development with environmental protection.

The second session, held at the Green Lake Conference Center, focused on interpersonal skills including conflict, personality styles and customer relations. To kick start the session, experienced zoning administrators shared real life stories of conflict and practical tips gained over the years for dealing with on-the-job challenges. Matt Moroney, Executive Director of the Metropolitan Builders Association, provided a perspective from "the other side of the counter." He discussed important characteristics of a well-functioning zoning office, including transparent guidelines, fact-based decisions, ongoing communication, professionalism, and timeliness. Extension educators from three counties helped participants understand personality styles, intergenerational differences, and conflict management. These sessions helped participants gain a better understanding of themselves and their interactions with co-workers and applicants. Keynote speaker, Joanne Kloppenburg, representing the Wisconsin Department of Justice wrapped the session up by discussing the Public Trust Doctrine and the legal basis for shoreland zoning in Wisconsin.

The third session was held at Treehaven, a residential natural resources education and conference facility near Tomahawk. This session focused on current and future technologies in the field of zoning. From the DNR headquarters in Rhinelander, participants utilized videoconferencing technology to talk with Brian Ohm, attorney and land use specialist with UWEX about the impact of the comprehensive planning law on county zoning. Participants also interacted with Rick Gauger, Executive Director of the West Wisconsin Land Trust about private options for land conservation, and Roman Kaminski, from the Wisconsin Department of Commerce about the future of private onsite wastewater treatment systems. The Wisconsin DNR provided background materials on statewide planning initiatives including the new Land Legacy report and each participant received a personal copy of the full color document. Researchers from UWSP helped facilitate a discussion about the current use of geographic information systems (GIS) technology in county offices and also shared cutting-edge research that utilizes GIS to examine and predict future parcelization trends. Before the session wrapped up, participants engaged in an exercise "mapping" political players in Wisconsin�s land use arena.