ELLSWORTH — The Ellsworth Village Board made the direction to the Joint Extraterritorial Zoning (ETZ) Committee to explore changes to an ordinance that extends the ETZ district 1.5 miles from the village boundary into the towns of Ellsworth and Trimbelle on Monday.

“The ETZ Ordinance and map was established in 2006. The 1.5-mile district is the maximum extent allowed by the State. ETZ focuses on basic land-use standards, such as permitted uses, residential density, and minimum lot sizes. ETZ zoning works alongside existing extraterritorial subdivision and plat review authority,” village documents state.

According to the village, the ETZ ordinance allows for management of edge-of-community development, prevention of incompatible uses near village limits, protection of roads and utilities, implementation of village plans and provides predictability for property owners.

Village Administrator/Clerk-Treasurer Brad Roy mentioned the village has received complaints about the ETZ from people who live in the range. The overall sentiment from the board was they would like to make changes to the ordinance, including decreasing the 1.5-mile total that was deemed excessive.

“We’ve heard complaints since I’ve started, so I think it’s just time to reassess the situation and make an ordinance that would be more usable for the residents of the town, probably a little more effective for the village,” Roy said.

Trustee Andrew Borner said there is both confusion on the zoning as well as hindrance of what people can do on their land, two things village leaders would like to remove.

Exact decisions were not made at Monday’s meeting, as the item was simply to provide future direction.

Community member Brad Ristow spoke on behalf of a handful of attending residents, sharing their experiences for where the ETZ went wrong over the years. He said a change in who manages the zoning to an inspections corporation, where the black-and-white rules were imposed, caused problems for some residents.

“We want to do right by anybody that has seen a negative effect by this,” Borner said.