2023-2024 Legislative Session

December 4, 2023 | Number 12

Calling all Municipal Leaders

The authors briefly paused to let us check in with our members before formally introducing Senate Bill 691 (Senator Testin, Rep. Hurd). After consulting members that may be immediately impacted by this legislation, we maintain our opposition and concern about the state's direction. SB 691 gives towns the extraordinary ability to self-designate as an urban core without incorporation.

In the bill an urban town is defined as a town with all of the following:

• A population of more than 5,000,
• A population density of 750 persons in any square mile.
• The town provides law enforcement service.
• The town has enacted a subdivision ordinance.
• The town has enacted a zoning ordinance or is subject to county zoning.

The bill requires cities and villages to connect these town territories to their water or sewerage systems if sufficient capacity at the time of application is available. Along with requiring mandatory connection to sewer and water systems, under the bill, a town that has been designated as an urban town is not subject to extraterritorial zoning or extraterritorial plat approval by a neighboring city or village.

Additionally, territory of an urban town may not be annexed to a city or village except by unanimous approval.

The League strongly opposes SB 691. We encourage all our members to contact their legislators expressing concern with this legislation. 

Legislative Hearings December 4th-8th

The Senate Transportation and Local Government Committee will hold a public hearing on Tuesday, December 5th at 9:30 am in room 300 Southeast, State Capitol on the following bills:

• Senate Bill 467, Outdoor Advertising Signs that do not conform to local ordinances affected by certain transportation projects, and
• Assembly Bill 514, Prohibiting Certain Indemnification Provisions in contracts relating to design professional services.

The League opposes both bills as currently drafted.

The Senate Judiciary and Public Safety Committee will hold a public hearing on Wednesday, December 6th at 10:00 am in room 201 Southeast, State Capitol on SB 573, Officer Training Expenses, doubles the reimbursement for training from $160 to $320 per officer. The League supports this bill.

Ringing in the New Year & Closing Out the Session

The first weeks of December will be busy with committee hearings and votes before the holiday break. The legislature will begin 2024 with the remainder of the 2023-2024 session's committee hearings and floor voting. Potential dates for the legislature to be voting in Senate and Assembly floor sessions include the weeks of January 16 to 25, February 13 to 22, and March 12 to 14.

New Year's Gift💰

The Law Enforcement Agency Grant program was announced back in March 2022. Law enforcement agencies may use their allocation to reimburse eligible expenditures incurred between 3/15/2022 and 12/31/2023. Permitted uses of funds and other information regarding reimbursement can be found on the grant website.

Law enforcement agencies have claimed the funds to a varying degree, and we want to make sure agencies have an opportunity to be reimbursed before the program sunsets at the end of the year.

Please work with your finance director and police chief on eligibility. DOA is available to answer questions and work through any issues. The direct email for the grant is LEAGrant@wisconsin.gov.

RECENTLY INTRODUCED LEGISLATION

of Municipal Importance

The following bills have recently been added to the list of those being monitored by the League.

• SB 681: Public Contracts (Senator Jacque, Rep. Armstrong) Public contracts with persons engaged in certain boycotts.

• SB 684: Modifying Highway Speed Restrictions (Senator Cowles, Rep. Penterman) Local authority to modify highway speed restrictions.

• SB 686: State and Local Financial Assistance Prohibited Consideration (Senator Jacque, Rep. Armstrong) Prohibited considerations in awarding state or local financial assistance.

• SB 688: Local Government Bidding Thresholds (Senator Stroebel, Rep. Brooks) Local government competitive bidding thresholds and requiring school districts to utilize competitive bidding.

• AB 685: Local Regulation of Fowl (Rep. Sortwell and Senator Taylor). This bill prohibits political subdivisions and sewerage districts from prohibiting the keeping of up to four chickens, ducks, geese, quail, or guinea fowl (fowl) by property owners or certain lessors on properties zoned for residential use.

⭐If you would like to contact your legislators on any bills mentioned in the bulletin you can find contact information for all legislators here. To find out which legislators represent your community, use the "Find Your Legislator" function on the right side of the site.

Email questions or comments to:

Toni Herkert, Government Affairs Director, therkert@lwm-info.org or

Katie Scott, Government Affairs Specialist, kscott@lwm-info.org.