Northern Sky Theater cleared the latest hurdle in its state legislative bid for property tax exemption status. The Door County Board of Supervisors approved a resolution supporting an assembly bill that would create an additional property tax exemption for “property owned by a nonprofit organization that operates a theater.”
The resolution passed at the board’s meeting on Feb. 27, with 12 votes in favor, five against, and four absent. Dissenting votes were cast by Roy Englebert, David Enigl, Ken Fisher, Elizabeth Gauger and Walter Kalms.
According to conditions outlined by the draft assembly bill, the property must have at least one building listed on the National Register of Historic Places, a federal tax exempt status confirmed since 1990, and one or more theaters with a total seating capacity of 800.
Northern Sky Theater is pursuing the property tax exemption through the same route Peninsula Players used in 2003 and 2004 when it successfully secured one through state legislative action. The Town of Gibraltar board voted in support of the Northern Sky exemption at its Dec. 4 meeting with a 3-2 vote.
The 40-acre property located at the corner of County Highways A and F, includes Northern Sky’s Gould Theater and Creative Campus. Northern Sky’s outdoor theater in Peninsula State Park would not be included in the exemption. The nonprofit theater company already does not pay property taxes at that theater, as it is state land. Northern Sky has a 15-year agreement with the park and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources that requires it to pay royalties on ticket sales, concessions and merchandise.
Those royalties were about $35,000 in 2024, according to Holly Feldman, managing director of Northern Sky. The theater is tax-exempt when it comes to donations, she said, but it pays sales tax on tickets, concessions and merchandise, which amounted to about $57,000 in 2023.
Taxes on the 40-acre property that Northern Sky is seeking exemption from were $35,552.19 in 2024. If the bill is passed, the exemption will go into effect for 2027.
Supervisors discussed the bill at length. Northern Sky brings educational value to the community, as well as economic value, according to District 18 Supervisor Vinni Chomeau who represents the Town of Gibraltar and Village of Ephraim.
“It’s an organization that’s very involved in the local community as well as promoting economic tourism and things to do in the county that are positive,” she said.
Chomeau also indicated that it is an issue of parity, as Peninsula Players is a very similar organization and is property tax exempt.
“This request looks, acts and feels equivalent to spot zoning,” according to District 16 Supervisor David Enigl, representing the Towns of Egg Harbor and Jacksonport. Getting a state level regulation created based on one entity is “spot regulation,” he said, and expressed concern about potential for abuse across the state.
Corporation Counsel Sean Donohue responded that he believed the bill is being mindfully drafted to be as limited to Northern Sky Theater as possible and that minimizes the possibility it would have broad or unintended consequences.
The resolution supporting the draft bill will be forwarded to Gov. Tony Evers, state Sen. André Jacque, state Rep. Joel Kitchens and the Wisconsin Counties Association. Kitchens has agreed to bring the bill forward, but there are no guarantees it will pass the legislature.
New state committee requests DEI-related records from Door County
Door County received an open records request during the week of Feb, 24 from the Wisconsin State Assembly Committee on Government Operations, Accountability, and Transparency (GOAT) regarding Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI)-related information, Corporation Counsel Donohue said in a brief report before the board.
GOAT was formed by the legislature in early 2025. Donohue stated he is unfamiliar with the committee and its purview, but he said he thought there was some push by the federal government for states to form these types of committees.
The request was issued by the vice-chair of the committee, state Rep. Shae Sortwell (R-Two Rivers), to all 72 Wisconsin counties and the 50 largest cities. state Rep. Amanda Nedweski (R-Pleasant Prairie) chairs the committee, which has not yet met, nor are any meetings scheduled on the state legislative calendar. The committee also has not brought any bills forward to the legislature.
According to a statement provided by the Wisconsin Counties Association, GOAT is requesting all records from January 2019 to the present that include the following:
- Any grant received that is DEI related (contains DEI language as demonstrated by the words “diversity,” “equity” or “inclusion” in the title of the grant, description of the grant, or in the grant requirements).
- Any policy adopted or enacted that is DEI related (that has above mentioned language in the title of the policy, or in the policy itself)
- Any training program engaged in or contracted for that is DEI related (that focuses on, or mentions DEI or DEI language as part of the training program description or written materials)
- Any titles and salaries of employees whose positions are DEI related (that contains DEI language in the title or description of the job)
- Information regarding the estimated associated costs of such DEI related policies and trainings
The Wisconsin Counties Association also provided some guidance relative to the state statute GOAT is relying upon for the request, in its statement:
“Based upon our review, there are concerns surrounding the validity of the request and a county’s legal obligation to respond. That said, we understand there may be legitimate concerns the GOAT Committee is attempting to address and would appreciate any additional information the GOAT Committee can provide relative to its request so as to further evaluate a county’s obligations.”
The county will treat the request as any open records request, and will follow Wisconsin Counties Association advice in fulfilling it, Donohue said.
Chaudoir’s Dock dredging
With lake levels anticipated to go down this summer another 10 to 13 inches below last year’s water level, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Door County Facilities and Parks Department is planning a dredging and construction project at Chaudoir’s Dock County Park.
The estimated total cost of the project is $551,053.
The department sought county board approval to apply for a matching grant from the DNR’s Stewardship Program for recreational boating facilities in the amount of $275,526.50. The grant requires a 50 percent match from the county. No money is being asked for from the county tax levy, according to Wayne Spritka, department director. The Facilities and Parks Department has those funds available in its boat launch fund, he added.
Of the public boat launches managed by the county, Chaudoir’s Dock is the third most-used, Spritka said, and roughly 7,000 daily docking fees were charged last year. Robert M. Carmody County Park in Gardner has the highest use and George K. Pinney County Park in Sturgeon Bay comes in second.
Spritka was on hand to answer questions and provide information about the project at the Board of Supervisors meeting.
He advised supervisors they would likely be hearing from constituents about water levels at the dock. The conditions in the harbor are “terrible,” he said, and the dock has seen an 18 percent drop in usage already in 2024.
The 100-foot county-owned dock is located in a protected harbor on Green Bay between Little Sturgeon and Dyckesville and is a designated emergency harbor of refuge. Harbors of refuge provide safe docking for vessels in distress along the Great Lakes.
As of now, vessels larger than 21 feet in length with outboard motors run aground in the harbor and need to push through sand, potentially damaging their vessel, Spritka said. Vessels larger than 22 feet in length cannot seek safe harbor at Chaudoir’s Dock at all in its current condition, he added.
Grant requirements indicate the project must have a construction component in addition to dredging, Spritka said, and the upper parking lot will receive new asphalt and improved signage and lighting.
The board approved the department’s request to apply for the grant, with a deadline of June 1. Spritka explained that dredging will not likely begin until fall, based on the timeline. This season Chaudoir’s Dock will be open, but likely remain inaccessible to some vessels, he said.
Grant funding for agency redesign approved
In 2024, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services decided to redesign the logo for all Aging and Disability Resource Centers in the state, according to District 12 Supervisor Nissa Norton, who represents the City of Sturgeon Bay. Originally the state offered every county in Wisconsin a $10,000 grant to make the changes in printed and online marketing materials, she said.
Counties pushed back, expressing that the change would cost more than $10,000, Norton said. In response DHS gave every county a choice: take no money and pay for the changes out of the county’s pocket, take the $10,000, or take the amount each county estimated it needs for the redesign.
Door County ADRC and Health and Human Services board members estimated needing $36,800 for the changes.
The Health and Human Services board voted unanimously in favor of the third option last fall, but the situation left ADRC and HHS leaders questioning the state’s plans.
The ADRC logo is going to be a slightly different shade of blue and the font design will also be slightly different, Norton said.
“The ADRC committee and the Health and Human Services committee kind of went, wow this is what we’re spending our money on?” she said. “But at the same time if we don’t accept it we will have to end up paying out the money anyway and it could affect possible future funding.”
“A lovely way to see our legislature help us save money,” Supervisor Enigl said after a brief discussion. The board voted in favor of the resolution to accept the DHS grant in the full amount of $36,800.