Wisconsin 2025-2026 Regular Session

Wisconsin Senate Bill SB215 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-1061/1
3	3	SWB&EVM:cdc
4	4	2025 SENATE BILL 215
5	5	April 16, 2025 - Introduced by Senators QUINN, CABRAL-GUEVARA, FEYEN, JACQUE,
6	6	JAMES, MARKLEIN and SPREITZER, cosponsored by Representatives DALLMAN,
7	7	ANDERSON, ARMSTRONG, CALLAHAN, DITTRICH, DUCHOW, GUSTAFSON,
8	8	JOHNSON, KNODL, KREIBICH, KURTZ, MURSAU, O'CONNOR, SWEARINGEN,
9	9	VANDERMEER, WICHGERS and WITTKE. Referred to Committee on
10	10	Transportation and Local Government.
11	11	AN ACT to repeal 65.90 (3) (a) 1.; to renumber and amend 60.305 (4) (a); to
12	12	amend 60.10 (1) (b) 2m., 60.30 (1e) (f), 60.331, 60.341 and 82.19 (2) (a); to
13	13	create 60.305 (4) (a) 2. of the statutes; relating to: town clerk and treasurer
14	14	appointments, publication requirements for proposed budget summary and
15	15	notice of public hearing, and discontinuance of highways.
16	16	Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
17	17	This bill makes changes to various town procedures. Current law provides
18	18	that a town may combine certain positions, such as the town clerk and the town
19	19	treasurer, and provides that the combination takes effect on the latest date that any
20	20	current term of an office to be combined expires. The bill retains that deadline, but
21	21	allows the town board to provide that the combination of offices takes effect
22	22	immediately as both positions become vacant or, if the person appointed to the
23	23	combined office holds one of the offices to be combined, immediately upon a vacancy
24	24	in the other office to be combined.
25	25	Current law also provides that a town with a population of 2,500 or more may
26	26	move from an elected clerk, treasurer, or combined office of clerk and treasurer to
27	27	an appointed clerk, treasurer, or combined clerk and treasurer by a vote of the
28	28	electors at a town meeting. Under current law, a town with a population of under
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33	33	5 2025 - 2026 Legislature
34	34	SENATE BILL 215
35	35	- 2 - LRB-1061/1
36	36	SWB&EVM:cdc
37	37	SECTION 1
38	38	2,500 may only move from an elected clerk, treasurer, or combined clerk and
39	39	treasurer to an appointed position through a referendum. The bill allows a town of
40	40	any size to move from an elected position to an appointed one by a vote of the
41	41	electors at a town meeting. Current law also prohibits a town[s change from an
42	42	elected to an appointed clerk, treasurer, or combined clerk and treasurer from
43	43	taking effect until the end of the current elected term. Under the bill, a town may
44	44	move to an appointed clerk, treasurer, or combined clerk and treasurer position
45	45	during an elected term when there is a vacancy in the position.
46	46	Under current law, a town treasurer is permitted to appoint a deputy
47	47	treasurer, while a town clerk may appoint one or more deputies. The bill provides
48	48	that a town treasurer may appoint one or more deputies. The bill also provides that
49	49	deputy town clerks and deputy town treasurers need not be residents of the town.
50	50	The bill also changes the publication and notice requirements for towns with
51	51	respect to the public hearing regarding the town[s proposed budget. Current law
52	52	requires that towns, cities, and villages conduct a public hearing on a proposed
53	53	budget. Under current law, cities and villages must provide a summary of the
54	54	proposed budget and notice of the budget public hearing and may do so by
55	55	publishing the summary and notice in a newspaper, posting it in three locations, or
56	56	posting it in one location and on a website maintained by the municipality. Current
57	57	law also requires towns to provide a summary of the proposed budget and notice of
58	58	the budget public hearing, but towns must post the summary and notice in three
59	59	locations. This bill eliminates the limitation on how towns must provide the
60	60	summary and notice, instead allowing towns the same options as cities and villages.
61	61	Finally, under current law, every highway ceases to be a public highway four
62	62	years from the date on which it was laid out, except the parts of the highway that
63	63	have been opened, traveled, or worked within that time. The bill eliminates the
64	64	travel exception from consideration by a town board in determining whether a
65	65	highway has ceased to be a public highway.
66	66	For further information see the local fiscal estimate, which will be printed as
67	67	an appendix to this bill.
68	68	The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do
69	69	enact as follows:
70	70	SECTION 1. 60.10 (1) (b) 2m. of the statutes is amended to read:
71	71	60.10 (1) (b) 2m. In a town with a population of 2,500 or more, provide Provide
72	72	for the appointment by the town board of the town clerk, town treasurer, or both, or
73	73	of the combined office of town clerk and town treasurer under s. 60.305 (1), at a level
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77	77	4 2025 - 2026 Legislature
78	78	SENATE BILL 215
79	79	- 3 - LRB-1061/1
80	80	SWB&EVM:cdc
81	81	SECTION 1
82	82	of compensation to be set by the board that may not be reduced during the term to
83	83	which the person is appointed.
84	84	SECTION 2. 60.30 (1e) (f) of the statutes is amended to read:
85	85	60.30 (1e) (f) If Subject to s. 60.305 (4) (a), if a person is appointed to office
86	86	under par. (e), the person initially appointed may not take office until the term of
87	87	office of the incumbent town clerk, town treasurer, or combined town clerk and town
88	88	treasurer expires there is a vacancy in that position, as described under s. 17.03. A
89	89	person appointed to the office of town clerk or town treasurer, or to the combined
90	90	office of town clerk and town treasurer, shall serve for a term, not to exceed 3 years,
91	91	that is set by the town board. The person may be reappointed and may be dismissed
92	92	by the board only for cause, as defined in s. 17.001.
93	93	SECTION 3. 60.305 (4) (a) of the statutes is renumbered 60.305 (4) (a) 1. and
94	94	amended to read:
95	95	60.305 (4) (a) 1. A Subject to subd. 2., a combination of offices under this
96	96	section takes effect on the latest date that any current term of an office to be
97	97	combined expires.
98	98	SECTION 4. 60.305 (4) (a) 2. of the statutes is created to read:
99	99	60.305 (4) (a) 2. The town board may provide that a combination of offices
100	100	under this section takes effect immediately as both positions become vacant, as set
101	101	forth in s. 17.03, or, if the person appointed to the combined office holds one of the
102	102	offices to be combined, immediately upon a vacancy in the other office to be
103	103	combined.
104	104	SECTION 5. 60.331 of the statutes is amended to read:
105	105	60.331 Deputy town clerk. Each town clerk may appoint one or more
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129	129	24 2025 - 2026 Legislature
130	130	SENATE BILL 215
131	131	- 4 - LRB-1061/1
132	132	SWB&EVM:cdc
133	133	SECTION 5
134	134	deputies for whom the town clerk is responsible. A deputy shall take and file the
135	135	official oath and bond under s. 60.31. The town clerk may designate a deputy to
136	136	shall perform the clerk[s duties during the absence, sickness or other disability
137	137	upon direction of the clerk or upon inability of the clerk to perform the clerk[s
138	138	duties. A deputy town clerk need not be a resident of the town.
139	139	SECTION 6. 60.341 of the statutes is amended to read:
140	140	60.341 Deputy town treasurer. Each town treasurer may appoint a deputy
141	141	one or more deputies for whom the treasurer is responsible. The A deputy shall
142	142	take and file the official oath and bond under s. 60.31. In case of the absence,
143	143	sickness or other disability of the treasurer, the The deputy shall perform the
144	144	treasurer[s duties upon direction of the treasurer or upon inability of the treasurer
145	145	to perform the treasurer[s duties. A deputy town treasurer need not be a resident of
146	146	the town.
147	147	SECTION 7. 65.90 (3) (a) 1. of the statutes is repealed.
148	148	SECTION 8. 82.19 (2) (a) of the statutes is amended to read:
149	149	82.19 (2) (a) Every highway shall cease to be a public highway 4 years from
150	150	the date on which it was laid out, except the parts of the highway that have been
151	151	opened, traveled, or worked within that time.
152	152	(END)
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