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Helen Jo inson <br /> October ' 9, 1999 <br /> Page 2 <br /> has not surrendered or contracted away any of its <br /> governmental functions or powers. The function of the <br /> council and the powers conferred upon it by statute are <br /> not impaired. <br /> We conclude this ordinance was properly adopted by the <br /> common council in the exercise of its statutory functions <br /> to determine to rezone property at such time as the <br /> conditions, set by the council, were met. * * * It provided <br /> that the rezoning would take place when the conditions <br /> were met. <br /> I I inderstand that there has been some criticism of the board's practice of <br /> requirinc deed restrictions on land other than that being rezoned on the ground that <br /> the prac ice is not authorized by the ordinance. See August 25, 1999 letter from <br /> Town of Cross Plains Town Supervisor Bob Bowman. This starts from an erroneous <br /> premise (that the ordinance alone can authorize conditional zoning) and proceeds <br /> unmindf ii of the fact that each time the county imposes deed restrictions as a part of <br /> a rezonE grant, it does so by adopting an ordinance. As Konkel points out, <br /> conditional zoning is authorized by statute. Section 59.69(4), Saats., states that a <br /> county r lay only exercise its zoning powers through an ordinance. When the county <br /> imposes conditional zoning it does so by an ordinance amendment. An ordinance <br /> amendn ent enacting zi rezone changes the ordinance and does not execute or <br /> implement its existing provisions. Quinn v. Town of Dodgeville, 120 Wis.2d 304, 317 <br /> (Ct. App 1984). Prior authorization in the zoning ordinance to impose a srecific <br /> type of c onditional zoning is simply not necessary. To say otherwise would be to <br /> impose pn a legislative body the absurd requirement that before enacting an <br /> amendn gent to its zoning ordinance, it must first enact an amendment stating that it <br /> gives its alf the power to enact a future amendment. <br /> Y our second question is whether the county may lawfully amend or repeal a <br /> deed re,triction without the consent of property owners within 300 feet of the <br /> restricte 1 property. It is my opinion that the county can amend or repeal a deed <br /> restrictic n without the consent of landowners within 300 feet. <br /> C nce a deed restriction is recorded pursuant to conditional zoning, D.C. Ord. <br /> sec. 10.2.55(3)(b) states that "The covenant controls shall be amenable or repealable <br /> upon pe tition of the owner of the lands subject to the controls and approval by the <br /> county 1,oard after a hearing similar to a rezoning hearing." It is my opinion that the <br /> consent of any persor or entity with a property right in the deed restriction would be <br /> requires to amend or repeal the restriction. But, the express language of the <br /> ordinan :e does not grant owners of property within 300 feet a property right. Rather, <br />