Most people, when asked, can name their mayor and perhaps their alder. They can usual name the functions and powers of their village or city. Some may be familiar with the role of county government. How many are familiar with their regional plan commission (RPC) and its commissioners? The following is a two-part series about the Capital Area Regional Plan Commission and the controversy it has created. This segment deals with nature of regional plan commissions and the history of regional planning in Dane County.

RPCs are entities created by state statute in the 1960s to allow communities and counties to address issues that are regional in nature. Sixty-six of Wisconsin's 72 counties elected to join an RPC. Only one county, Dane, created its own RPC, when the surrounding counties opted not to join with it to create a truly regional entity. The state gave the RPCs the option of performing various planning and administrative functions. One of the most universal of these related to water quality management. This seemed reasonable as water does not respect municipal or county political boundaries. RPCs typically are advisory to the Wisconsin DNR on urban service amendments (USAs) for municipalities. Urban service areas are those lands a community can serve with sewer and water. Typically, the DNR will rubber stamp the decision of an RPC on what extensions a community can make to its urban service area.

This is important for the housing industry and economic development in Wisconsin because villages and cities grow by annexation. However, unless their USAs are expanded, they cannot provide sewer and water to the new area and hence can't really develop it. Whoever makes the decision about whether or not a community can extend its USA, controls a great deal of power.

This is why the RPCs are important. A community may plan for commercial and residential development all it wants, but without sewer and water, it cannot grow. The issue is further complicated by the fact the RPC commissioners are not elected officials, but usually appointed by one or more entities.

By the 1990s the Dane County Regional Plan Commission (DCRPC) had become a very controversial entity with many communities feeling that it was trying to stifle economic development, at least outside of Madison. Led by the towns, a successful effort was made in 1999 to dissolve the RPC and it was finally closed in 2004. For several years, a cobbled together group of staff provided the key services of the old DCRPC. However, the DNR indicated that they wanted a local entity, lead by citizens and not staff to make the recommendations on USA amendments. For almost two years a study group (including representatives of the REALTORS® worked to create a new RPC, but the group was dissolved and a new commission was created by agreement of the Dane County Association of Villages and Cities, the Dane County Towns Association, the City of Madison and the Dane County Executive. Three of the entities got three appointments to the new 13 member body and Madison got four. The new Capitol Area Regional Plan Commission began meeting in 2007.