Beginning in August 2023, the Village of Howard will post public hearing notices not legally required to be published in a newspaper on the village's website instead. Residents can view all public hearing notices on a newly created webpage.
Public hearings are a special kind of government meeting where the purpose is to gather input on a particular topic from those in attendance. Examples include hearings on a rezoning or conditional use application, the village budget, or other specific topics. For Plan Commission public hearings, such as proposed developments, rezonings, and conditional use applications, neighboring property owners still will receive postcard mailings of public hearings.
Pursuant to Wis. Stats. Sec. 985.05, municipalities may use alternative methods to post public hearing notifications, except that certain cases do require actual newspaper publication. The statutes specifically require the publication of tax redemptions or sales, annexations, detachments, consolidations, incorporations, and notices directed to specific individuals. Additionally, Village Board meeting minutes and village ordinances imposing a forfeiture must be published in a newspaper. In all of these instances, the village will both post the public hearing notices to the website AND publish them in the newspaper.
Click here to visit the Public Hearings webpage.