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League Opposition: Urban Towns Legislation
LRB 4336, which creates a new municipal classification of urban towns, was recently circulated for co-sponsorship in the Legislature. The bill requires cities and villages to allow connection, with certain limited exceptions, to their water or sewerage systems if the town is self designated as a newly defined "urban town." An urban town is defined in the bill as a town with all of the following:
- The town has a population of more than 5,000,
- The town has 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.
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, if requirements are met, territory of an urban town may not be annexed to a city or village except by unanimous approval of all of the property owners of the property to be annexed.
The League strongly opposes this legislation and will provide updates in future legislative bulletins.
League Initiated/Supported Legislation:
Resolving Legal Title on
Historic Filled Lands
Numerous Wisconsin municipalities located along the Great Lakes are finding it difficult to redevelop and make constructive public/private community based use of their shorelines due to legal title issues associated with the land adjacent to or near the waterway. In most cases, this land was once part of the waterway, but was filled several decades ago (generally, prior to 1960) either through natural processes or as part of a legislative or common law authorization.
The public trust doctrine has been used to prohibit conveyance of title to municipalities or individuals, stalling or impeding public/private partnerships to provide creative redevelopment opportunities on our beautiful lakeshore. Without resolution of these title issues, obtaining title insurance and financing necessary for the redevelopment of these properties is problematic.
Most of the land at issue is located in urban areas, has already been developed, and has historically been used for commercial or industrial purposes. The repurposing and redevelopment of the aforementioned properties would benefit the community by providing additional public opportunities while removing blight and contamination from our Great Lakes shorelines. For more information see the bill and co-sponsorship memo and an article in the Municipality Magazine from our April 2021 Land Use edition (pg. 11-13).
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