Guest Speaker:  Jay Verhulst

Mr. Verhulst is a land use specialist with "Americans for Prosperity", a state-wide taxpayer-rights organization with over 14,000 members, which is sponsoring the event.  He is also executive director and president of the grass-roots organization "Taxpayers for Fair Zoning, Inc.". 

He has been involved in land use issues for twelve years and has participated in the planning processes at the Town, County, Regional, State and National levels.  As a citizen he fought against an early effort by the Wis. Dept. of Natural Resources (DNR) to rezone water front properties that would have negatively impacted the owners. His successful efforts led to his election to the Vilas County Board of Supervisors.  In his position as County Land Use Representative he has attended every legislative session, conference and forum affecting Vilas County.  These sessions were held by the Wis. Legislature, Wis. County Code Administrators Association, Wis. Land & Water Conservation Association and the DNR Advisory Committee in the process of rewriting DNR Regulation NR115.  This Regulation administers how all property within 1000’ of a lake or 300’ of a river or stream in unincorporated areas can be developed. He also attended the conference for the Governors Working Lands Initiative which will determine how farm land will be regulated.