Sheriff Spoden Responds

Give the Sheriff credit - he is much more responsive than our local county board supervisors who ignored all of the RKLD photos, maps, data and personal testimony from last year's effort to fix this mess.

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ROBERT D. SPODEN

ROCK COUNTY SHERIFF

Rock County Ordinance 25.50 which was enacted by the Rock County Board of Supervisors on January 12, 2012, requires a slow-no-wake speed restriction be placed on the Rock River when water levels exceed 7.5 feet on Lake Koshkonong and 6.5 feet in Afton, as measured by US Geological Survey Gauges. On March 21, 2013, water levels exceeded prescribed levels and a slow-no-wake speed restriction was enacted as required by the ordinance. Since then, water levels have fluctuated but never fallen below prescribed levels to allow for an abeyance of the speed restriction.

The Sheriff’s Office recognizes that the boating public is frustrated and strongly desires to engage in recreational boating on the waterways in Rock County. In fact, for weeks, the Sheriff’s Office has been inundated with calls from citizens expressing grievance with the continuation of the speed restriction. Following a brief explanation, citizens are referred to the Sheriff’s Office website to review the ordinance in its entirety, along with Rock County’s website to learn which Rock County Board Supervisor they should contact for grievance purposes.

Sheriff Spoden strongly encouraged review of this ordinance and has worked with County governing officials to facilitate review and potential amendment of the ordinance. With the assistance of the Rock County Sheriff’s Office Recreational Safety Team leader, several Rock County Board Supervisors recently toured the waterways to view conditions. As a result, the Sheriff’s Office recently learned Rock County Board Supervisors are strongly considering an amendment. On Monday, June 24, 2013, the Rock County Board Public Safety and Justice Committee will meet at 3:00 p.m., at the Rock County Courthouse on the fifth floor in Room N-1 to discuss and possibly act on amendment of the ordinance. Our information indicates that the amendment of ordinance 25.50 will likely go to the full County Board for a vote on June 27, 2013.

To read the ordinance, go to the Sheriff’s Office website; and under quick links, click slow-no- wake ordinance: http://www.co.rock.wi.us/index.php/departments/departments-m-z/sheriffs-office

To learn contact information for County Board Supervisors, follow:

http://www.co.rock.wi.us/districts-a-supervisors

ROBERT D. SPODEN SHERIFF