Wisconsin 2025-2026 Regular Session

Wisconsin Assembly Bill AB214 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

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1	1	2025 - 2026 LEGISLATURE
2	2	LRB-2547/1
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4	4	2025 ASSEMBLY BILL 214
5	5	April 23, 2025 - Introduced by Representatives DALLMAN, ANDERSON, ARMSTRONG,
6	6	CALLAHAN, DITTRICH, DUCHOW, GUSTAFSON, JOHNSON, KNODL, KREIBICH,
7	7	KURTZ, MURSAU, O'CONNOR, SWEARINGEN, VANDERMEER, WICHGERS and
8	8	WITTKE, cosponsored by Senators QUINN, PFAFF, CABRAL-GUEVARA, FEYEN,
9	9	JACQUE, JAMES, MARKLEIN and SPREITZER. Referred to Committee on Local
10	10	Government.
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12	12	*AUTHORS SUBJECT TO CHANGE*
13	13	AN ACT to repeal 65.90 (3) (a) 1.; to renumber and amend 60.305 (4) (a); to
14	14	amend 60.10 (1) (b) 2m., 60.30 (1e) (f), 60.331, 60.341 and 82.19 (2) (a); to
15	15	create 60.305 (4) (a) 2. of the statutes; relating to: town clerk and treasurer
16	16	appointments, publication requirements for proposed budget summary and
17	17	notice of public hearing, and discontinuance of highways.
18	18	Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
19	19	This bill makes changes to various town procedures. Current law provides
20	20	that a town may combine certain positions, such as the town clerk and the town
21	21	treasurer, and provides that the combination takes effect on the latest date that any
22	22	current term of an office to be combined expires. The bill retains that deadline, but
23	23	allows the town board to provide that the combination of offices takes effect
24	24	immediately as both positions become vacant or, if the person appointed to the
25	25	combined office holds one of the offices to be combined, immediately upon a vacancy
26	26	in the other office to be combined.
27	27	Current law also provides that a town with a population of 2,500 or more may
28	28	move from an elected clerk, treasurer, or combined office of clerk and treasurer to
29	29	an appointed clerk, treasurer, or combined clerk and treasurer by a vote of the
30	30	electors at a town meeting. Under current law, a town with a population of under
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35	35	5 2025 - 2026 Legislature
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39	39	SECTION 1
40	40	2,500 may only move from an elected clerk, treasurer, or combined clerk and
41	41	treasurer to an appointed position through a referendum. The bill allows a town of
42	42	any size to move from an elected position to an appointed one by a vote of the
43	43	electors at a town meeting. Current law also prohibits a town[s change from an
44	44	elected to an appointed clerk, treasurer, or combined clerk and treasurer from
45	45	taking effect until the end of the current elected term. Under the bill, a town may
46	46	move to an appointed clerk, treasurer, or combined clerk and treasurer position
47	47	during an elected term when there is a vacancy in the position.
48	48	Under current law, a town treasurer is permitted to appoint a deputy
49	49	treasurer, while a town clerk may appoint one or more deputies. The bill provides
50	50	that a town treasurer may appoint one or more deputies. The bill also provides that
51	51	deputy town clerks and deputy town treasurers need not be residents of the town.
52	52	The bill also changes the publication and notice requirements for towns with
53	53	respect to the public hearing regarding the town[s proposed budget. Current law
54	54	requires that towns, cities, and villages conduct a public hearing on a proposed
55	55	budget. Under current law, cities and villages must provide a summary of the
56	56	proposed budget and notice of the budget public hearing and may do so by
57	57	publishing the summary and notice in a newspaper, posting it in three locations, or
58	58	posting it in one location and on a website maintained by the municipality. Current
59	59	law also requires towns to provide a summary of the proposed budget and notice of
60	60	the budget public hearing, but towns must post the summary and notice in three
61	61	locations. This bill eliminates the limitation on how towns must provide the
62	62	summary and notice, instead allowing towns the same options as cities and villages.
63	63	Finally, under current law, every highway ceases to be a public highway four
64	64	years from the date on which it was laid out, except the parts of the highway that
65	65	have been opened, traveled, or worked within that time. The bill eliminates the
66	66	travel exception from consideration by a town board in determining whether a
67	67	highway has ceased to be a public highway.
68	68	For further information see the local fiscal estimate, which will be printed as
69	69	an appendix to this bill.
70	70	The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do
71	71	enact as follows:
72	72	SECTION 1. 60.10 (1) (b) 2m. of the statutes is amended to read:
73	73	60.10 (1) (b) 2m. In a town with a population of 2,500 or more, provide Provide
74	74	for the appointment by the town board of the town clerk, town treasurer, or both, or
75	75	of the combined office of town clerk and town treasurer under s. 60.305 (1), at a level
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83	83	SECTION 1
84	84	of compensation to be set by the board that may not be reduced during the term to
85	85	which the person is appointed.
86	86	SECTION 2. 60.30 (1e) (f) of the statutes is amended to read:
87	87	60.30 (1e) (f) If Subject to s. 60.305 (4) (a), if a person is appointed to office
88	88	under par. (e), the person initially appointed may not take office until the term of
89	89	office of the incumbent town clerk, town treasurer, or combined town clerk and town
90	90	treasurer expires there is a vacancy in that position, as described under s. 17.03. A
91	91	person appointed to the office of town clerk or town treasurer, or to the combined
92	92	office of town clerk and town treasurer, shall serve for a term, not to exceed 3 years,
93	93	that is set by the town board. The person may be reappointed and may be dismissed
94	94	by the board only for cause, as defined in s. 17.001.
95	95	SECTION 3. 60.305 (4) (a) of the statutes is renumbered 60.305 (4) (a) 1. and
96	96	amended to read:
97	97	60.305 (4) (a) 1. A Subject to subd. 2., a combination of offices under this
98	98	section takes effect on the latest date that any current term of an office to be
99	99	combined expires.
100	100	SECTION 4. 60.305 (4) (a) 2. of the statutes is created to read:
101	101	60.305 (4) (a) 2. The town board may provide that a combination of offices
102	102	under this section takes effect immediately as both positions become vacant, as set
103	103	forth in s. 17.03, or, if the person appointed to the combined office holds one of the
104	104	offices to be combined, immediately upon a vacancy in the other office to be
105	105	combined.
106	106	SECTION 5. 60.331 of the statutes is amended to read:
107	107	60.331 Deputy town clerk. Each town clerk may appoint one or more
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135	135	SECTION 5
136	136	deputies for whom the town clerk is responsible. A deputy shall take and file the
137	137	official oath and bond under s. 60.31. The town clerk may designate a deputy to
138	138	shall perform the clerk[s duties during the absence, sickness or other disability
139	139	upon direction of the clerk or upon inability of the clerk to perform the clerk[s
140	140	duties. A deputy town clerk need not be a resident of the town.
141	141	SECTION 6. 60.341 of the statutes is amended to read:
142	142	60.341 Deputy town treasurer. Each town treasurer may appoint a deputy
143	143	one or more deputies for whom the treasurer is responsible. The A deputy shall
144	144	take and file the official oath and bond under s. 60.31. In case of the absence,
145	145	sickness or other disability of the treasurer, the The deputy shall perform the
146	146	treasurer[s duties upon direction of the treasurer or upon inability of the treasurer
147	147	to perform the treasurer[s duties. A deputy town treasurer need not be a resident of
148	148	the town.
149	149	SECTION 7. 65.90 (3) (a) 1. of the statutes is repealed.
150	150	SECTION 8. 82.19 (2) (a) of the statutes is amended to read:
151	151	82.19 (2) (a) Every highway shall cease to be a public highway 4 years from
152	152	the date on which it was laid out, except the parts of the highway that have been
153	153	opened, traveled, or worked within that time.
154	154	(END)
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