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League of Wisconsin Municipalities
Ph: (608) 267-2380
(800) 991-5502
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Municipal Bills Advance out of Senate Committees
Last week, legislative committees voted to recommend passage of the following bills of interest to municipalities:
- SB 345, Enabling municipalities operating under ch. 64 to impose residency restrictions on city or village managers. The Senate Committee on Economic Development, Commerce and Local Government voted 7-0 to recommend passage. The League supports this bill.
- SB 236, Increasing the Competitive bidding threshold on public construction contracts other than road projects from $25,000 to $50,000. The bill also requires school districts to comply with competitive bidding requirements. Senate Committee on Economic Development, Commerce and Local Government voted 4-3 to recommend passage. The three Democrats on the committee voted against the bill because it extends competitive bidding requirements to school districts. The League supports this bill.
- SB 412, Allowing local public officials to receive anything of value that the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation or the Department of Tourism is authorized to provide to state officials under the state ethics law. Senate Committee on Labor and Regulatory Reform voted 4-0 to recommend passage. The League supports this bill.
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2018 General Transportation Aid Estimates Released
Last week, DOT staff mailed to all municipalities their 2018 general transportation aid preliminary estimates. You should have received your GTA estimates in the mail by now. If you have not, or if you want to compare your estimated payments to other communities' payments, we have posted DOT's full 2018 GTA estimates report on our website
here.
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October is Critical Month for Dark Store Legislation -- Contact Your Senator Now
The Dark Store and
Walgreens bills are poised for the next step towards legislative enactment. Thanks to your tremendous grassroots advocacy efforts, the bills have made it this far despite strong opposition from Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce and other business groups determined to maintain the status quo.
But now comes the hardest part. Legislative leaders are deciding which of the hundreds of bills waiting for action this fall will be scheduled for a floor vote. The next three weeks are do-or-die time for the Dark Store and Walgreens reversal bills.
We need your help now more than ever. If you haven't already done so, it's absolutely critical that you contact your state Senator and, at a minimum, ask him or her if you can count on them to support
Senate Bill 291
(reversing the
Walgreens
decision) and
Senate Bill 292
(dark store). We need 17 Republican Senators to commit to voting "yes" on these bills in order for them to pass.
We have created an email message for you to send to your Senator. Simply click on the link to get started
:
Take Action NOW!
Talking points about these bills are posted on our website at the following links:
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Recently Introduced Legislation
SB 425,
Limiting Municipal Regulation of Small Cell Antennas Placed in the Right of Way. Limits the authority of the state and political subdivisions to regulate certain small cell wireless facilities located in the right of way. The bill also enables municipalities to impose setback requirements on traditional cell towers located in single family residential zoning districts.
By Sen. LeMahieu (R-Oostburg).
Note:
This bill is similar to the small cell wireless bill that the Assembly passed in May (AB 348). SB 425 includes a few technical changes to the amended version of AB 348 that the Assembly passed. The League is neutral on this bill. We changed from opposing to neutral in the spring in exchange for the author of AB 348 agreeing to make certain changes to the bill. Nevertheless, we spent the summer urging Sen. LeMahieu to make additional changes beneficial to municipalities to his version of the small cell bill, but he declined to do so.
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Public Hearings this Week
SB 284,
Creative economy development initiative grants. By Senate Committee on Agriculture, Small Business and Tourism on Tuesday, October 10, at 10:00 in room 411 South, State Capitol. The League supports this bill
.
SB 177,
Drainage districts and regulating the removal of material from certain drainage districts. By Senate Committee on Agriculture, Small Business and Tourism on Tuesday, October 10, at 10:00 in room 411 South, State Capitol. The League supports this bill
.
SB 173
,
Brownfield remediation reform.
By Senate Committee on Government Operations, Technology and Consumer Protection on Tuesday, October 10, at 1:00 p.m. room 300 Southeast, State Capitol.
The League supports this bill.
SB 66,
Allowing a local elected official to serve as an election official. By Senate Committee on Elections and Utilities on Thursday, October 12, at 9:00 a.m. in room 411 South, State Capitol.
The League supports this bill.
SB 425
,
Limiting the Authority of local governments to regulate the placement of small cell wireless antennas in the right of way and enabling municipalities to impose setback restrictions on cell towers in single-family residential districts.
By Senate
Committee on Elections and Utilities on Thursday, October 12, at 9:00 a.m. in room 411 South, State Capitol. The League is neutral on this bill.
SB 275,
Prohibiting Sanctuary Cities. By Senate Committee on Labor and Regulatory Reform on Thursday, October 12, at 9:30 a.m. in room 412 East, State Capitol. The League opposes this bill.
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