2025 ANNUAL REPORT
Town of Clover Plan Commission
The Town Plan Commission (TPC) is a five member Town Board appointed advisory commission.
Members and term expiration dates are Pete Berton, April 2026; Katherine Merrill, April 2027;
James Stemwedel, April 2028; Mark Pope (Town Board representative), April 2027; and Keith
Koenning (chair), April 2027. Beverly Steele was the Town Board representative in early 2025.
The TPC’s primary responsibility is to ensure that land use decisions in the Town of Clover are
informed by an opinion from the TPC to the Town Board on the consistency of the proposed
land use with the Town’s 2023-2043 Comprehensive Plan and Future Land Use Map.
The TPC has a standing meeting date of the first Tuesday of each month at 7 pm in the Gym. If
no business has been referred to the TPC by the Town Board, the monthly meeting is cancelled.
Special meetings are held when the deadlines of a particular item of business dictate the need
for a TPC meeting. Agendas and minutes are on the Town’s web site, herbsterwisconsin.com.
In 2025 the TPC held two (compared to two held in 2020, five in 2021, seven in 2022, seven in
2023, and three in 2024) regular meetings. The TPC provided an advisory opinion to the Town
Board on one (five in 2020, ten in 2021, eleven in 2022, twelve in 2023, three in 2024) permit
application for a Class A Special Use Permit for RV placement for more than four months.
Bayfield County amended the zoning ordinance regulating short-term rentals (STRs) and as of
July 2024 a Class A permit is no longer a requirement. The Class A permit, which included a
recommendation from the Town to the County, has been replaced by an administrative permit
issued by the Planning and Zoning Department. The Town of Clover STR license requirement
(recommended by the TPC to the Town in 2020) remains in place. The County and Town may
impose reasonable conditions on a permit or license but cannot deny same (Wisconsin law
allows STRs as a private property right) except for cause such as failure to follow conditions or
disturbing the peace. The TPC made advisory opinions and condition recommendations on 21
STR permit applications during the previous seven years prior to this change in the zoning
ordinance.
The 2023-2043 Town of Clover Comprehensive Plan and Future Land Use Map (copies are
available from the Town Office and are posted on the County Planning and Zoning Department
website) requires the TPC on an annual basis to review the recommendations in the Plan. This
was accomplished at the December TPC meeting and the results of the review are in the
minutes of the meeting and are posted on the Town’s website.
Prepared by Keith Koenning, December 30, 2025.