Status of Bills the League Opposes

SB 573, Prohibiting local governments from owning, operating, managing, leasing, or controlling an electric vehicle charging station except under narrow specified circumstances. The League opposes this bill. The Assembly passed an amended version of the bill last week. The Senate will likely concur in the amended version when it meets next week. We plan to join the Counties Association and the Towns Association in asking the Governor to veto SB 573.
Action Step: Ask Governor Evers to veto SB 573 by using this contact form: https://appengine.egov.com/apps/wi/governor/voice-an-opinion.

AB 610, Prohibiting Certain Property Tax Assessment Practices. The League continues to oppose this bill despite the authors making significant amendments designed to remove our opposition. While we appreciate the changes, the bill remains problematic and we intend to ask the Governor to veto it if the Senate acts on it next week. However, the bill appears to be dead in light of what occurred in the Senate last week. The bill along with an amendment was scheduled for a floor vote last Tuesday, but because six Republican Senators expressed opposition to AB 610 in a caucus meeting held prior to the floor session, the bill was removed from the calendar and referred back to the Senate Committee on Organization. League staff thanks the many municipal officials who contacted their Senators and urged them to oppose AB 610. Your efforts were successful.

AB 608/SB 840, Mandating Certain Municipal Zoning and Subdivision Practices Relating to Multifamily and Workforce Housing Projects. Last fall, the Assembly passed a version of AB 608 requiring municipalities to do the following:

1.    Provide at least one zoning district in which multifamily housing providing not fewer than 16 residential units per acre is a permitted use.
2.    Permit residential use at a density of at least 16 units per acre in any commercial zoning district.
3.    Establish a process for approving or denying a workforce housing project within 90 days of receiving application.
4.    Approve any "workforce housing project" consistent with the housing element of the community’s comprehensive plan or with the community’s zoning ordinance unless the community can demonstrate the project would have a significant, quantifiable, direct, and unavoidable public health or safety impact.
5.    Assign street addresses to lots within an approved subdivision plat no later than the date on which the plat is approved.

Last week, the Senate Committee on Housing, voted 3-2 to recommend passage of a substitute amendment to SB 840 eliminating items 1-3 above but retaining items 4 and 5. The League continues to oppose SB 840. Read our joint memo with the Towns Association in opposition to the sub amendment here.

Even if the Senate passes the amended version of SB 840 next week, the Assembly would need to meet and concur in the amended version of the bill. However, it is unlikely the Assembly will be reconvening on the floor again this session. Therefore, it appears this bill is likely dead for the session.