2003 Wisconsin Act 214

Note: The special committee decided to eliminate the provisions for acquiring land in chs. 80 and 81 in favor of requiring the town to utilize the procedures under s. 32.05. As a result, the following provisions were not carried over into this bill: ss. 80.09, 80.10, 80.30 (1), and 80.24 through 80.29.

214,81 Section 81. 80.31 (title), (1) and (2) of the statutes are repealed.

214,82 Section 82. 80.31 (3) of the statutes is renumbered 82.14 (2) and amended to read:

82.14 (2) In case any If lands taken acquired by contract or condemnation for highway purposes shall be are encumbered, and the owners of the fee and of the encumbrance shall do not agree upon the division to be made between them on the allocation of any damages to be paid on account of such due to the taking, said the damages may be paid to the clerk of the circuit court of the county, and when so paid may be apportioned among the parties entitled thereto by said court upon in which the land is located. Upon the application of any party interested party and upon not less than 5 days' written notice to the other party, the court may apportion the damages paid to the clerk among the parties.

Note: New s. 82.14 (2) is based on current s. 80.31. The language from current s. 80.31 (3) was modified to eliminate the reference to condemnation because ch. 32 has provisions to deal with where and when money is paid.

214,83 Section 83. 80.32 (title) of the statutes is renumbered 82.19 (title) and amended to read:

82.19 (title) Discontinuance of highways ; reversion of title.

214,84 Section 84. 80.32 (1) of the statutes is renumbered 82.19 (1) and amended to read:

82.19 (1) Any An unrecorded road highway, or any part thereof which of an unrecorded highway, that has become or is in the process of becoming a public highway by user in any town may be discontinued in the manner hereinbefore provided using the procedures under ss. 82.10 to 82.12. Any proceedings taken therefor to discontinue an unrecorded highway shall not be evidence of the acceptance at any time by the town of such road the highway or any part thereof of the highway.

214,85 Section 85. 80.32 (2) of the statutes is renumbered 82.19 (2) (a) and amended to read:

82.19 (2) (a) Except as provided in sub. (5), every Every highway shall cease to be a public highway at the expiration of 4 years from the time date on which it was laid out, except such the parts thereof as shall of the highway that have been opened, traveled, or worked within such that time, and any.

(b) 2. Any highway which shall have that has been entirely abandoned as a route of vehicular travel, and on which no highway funds have been expended for 5 years, shall be considered discontinued.

Note: The special committee had lengthy discussions about what to do with current s. 80.32 (2). The special committee finally decided to retain the provision, but to modify it so that it is limited to vehicular travel. The intent is to exclude the use of a road for hiking or berry picking as a means of keeping a highway open.

214,86 Section 86. 80.32 (3) of the statutes is renumbered 66.1005 (1) and amended to read:

66.1005 (1) When any highway shall be or public ground acquired or held for highway purposes is discontinued the same, the land where the highway or public ground is located shall belong to the owner or owners of the adjoining lands; if it shall be. If the highway or public ground is located between the lands of different owners, it shall be annexed to the lots to which it originally belonged if that can be ascertained; if not it. If the lots to which the land originally belonged cannot be ascertained, the land shall be equally divided between the owners of the lands on each side thereof of the highway or public ground.

214,87 Section 87. 80.32 (4) (a) (intro.) of the statutes is renumbered 66.1005 (2) (a) (intro.) and amended to read:

66.1005 (2) (a) (intro.) Whenever any public highway or public ground acquired or held for public purposes has been vacated or discontinued, any all easements and rights incidental thereto acquired by or belonging to the easements that belong to any county, school district, town, village or, city or to any, utility, or person and relating that relate to any underground or overground structures, improvements, or services and all rights of entrance, maintenance, construction, and repair of the structures, improvements, or services shall continue, unless one of the following applies:

214,88 Section 88. 80.32 (4) (a) 1. and 2. of the statutes are renumbered 66.1005 (2) (a) 1. and 2.

214,89 Section 89. 80.32 (4) (b) of the statutes is renumbered 66.1005 (2) (b).

214,90 Section 90. 80.32 (4) (c) of the statutes is renumbered 66.1005 (2) (c) and amended to read:

66.1005 (2) (c) Damages for the discontinuance of the easements and rights described in par. (a) shall be assessed against the land benefited in the proceedings for assessment of damages or benefits upon the vacation or discontinuance of the public highway or public ground. The Unless the parties agree on a different amount, the amount of the damages shall be the present value of the property to be removed or abandoned, plus the cost of removal, less the salvage value of the removed or abandoned property, or any other amount that may be agreed upon between the interested parties. The owner of the easements and incidental rights, upon application to the treasurer and upon furnishing satisfactory proof, shall be entitled to any payments of or upon the assessment of damages.

214,91 Section 91. 80.32 (4) (d) of the statutes is renumbered 66.1005 (2) (d).

214,92 Section 92. 80.32 (5) of the statutes is renumbered 82.19 (2) (c) and amended to read:

82.19 (2) (c) Subsection (2) This subsection does not apply to state or county trunk highways or to any highway, street, alley, or right-of-way that provides public access to a navigable lake or stream.

214,93 Section 93. 80.33 of the statutes is renumbered 82.17 and amended to read:

82.17 Highway papers, where filed. All applications, orders, awards, bonds, and other papers relating to the laying out, altering, widening or discontinuing of highways under this chapter shall be promptly filed in the office of the town, city, or village clerk where the highway is located, except as otherwise specifically provided in this chapter.

Note: Currently, under ch. 80, orders must be filed with the town, city, or village clerk. This bill requires orders to be filed with the register of deeds. New s. 82.17 is intended to cover all documents other than the highway order.

214,94 Section 94. 80.34 (title) of the statutes is renumbered 82.16 (title).

214,95 Section 95. 80.34 (1) of the statutes is renumbered 82.16 (1) and amended to read:

82.16 (1) Every order of the supervisors or the supervisors and commissioners or of the county board or a committee thereof laying out, widening, altering , or discontinuing any a highway, or under this chapter, and any order restoring the records thereof, and the order of any commissioners reversing or affirming the same on appeal, and the record or certified copy thereof record of a highway, shall be presumptive evidence of the facts therein stated and of the regularity of all the proceedings prior to the making of such the order.

214,96 Section 96. 80.34 (2) of the statutes is renumbered 82.16 (2) and amended to read:

82.16 (2) The validity of any such an order described in sub. (1), if fair on its face shall, is not be open to collateral attack, but may be tested by certiorari or other proper action or proceeding brought directly for that purpose if commenced within the time after the order is made provided by s. 893.73 (2) challenged in an action brought under s. 82.15.

Note: Current s. 80.34 provides a time frame for challenging an order that is different from current s. 80.17. In this bill, the time frame under current s. 80.34 has been eliminated.

214,97 Section 97. 80.35 of the statutes is repealed.

214,98 Section 98. 80.37 of the statutes is renumbered 82.33 and amended to read:

82.33 Lost records; how restored; effect. (1) Whenever the record of the laying out of any highway is has been lost or destroyed, the supervisors board of the town in which the highway is located, upon notice being served on all interested parties in accordance with s. 80.05 82.10 (4), may make a new record of the highway. The notice shall fix state the time when and the place where the supervisors board will decide upon making whether to make the new record. The notice shall specify as near as may be contain a legal description of the highway for which the proposed record will be made and a scale map of the land that would be affected. Notice need not be given to persons who waive the notice or consent to the making issuance of the order either before or after it is entered.

(2) The supervisors shall meet pursuant to the notice given under sub. (1) and hear any arguments or evidence that may be offered for or against At the time and place stated in the notice, the town board shall hold a public hearing regarding the proposed new record, and shall make a new record as they consider it considers proper. The supervisors may adjourn from time to time, and an entry of each adjournment shall be made in the record by the town clerk. If the supervisors find board finds that the highway is a legal highway, the record of which is has been lost or destroyed, they the board shall make issue a written order stating those facts and specifying the course, width, and other pertinent description of the highway. The order shall be filed and recorded in the office of with the town clerk, who shall note the time of recording the order in the record and recorded in the office of the register of deeds for the county in which the highway is located. Any number of highways may be included in one notice or order under this section. A failure or refusal to make a new record for any highway does not preclude a subsequent proceeding for that purpose.

(3) Any person through whose land a highway described in an order entered filed under sub. (2) passes may appeal from the order under s. 82.15 on the ground grounds that the highway described in the order was not a legal highway in fact. The appeal shall be made in the time and manner provided for appealing from orders laying out highways, and proceedings shall be had on the appeal as in case of appeals from orders laying out highways. No person may call into question the regularity of proceedings under this section except owners of land on whom notice should have been served but in fact was not and persons claiming under those owners.

Note: The contents of the notice and who must be served with notice have been changed to be consistent with the rest of the new ch. 82. Current s. 80.37 requires that the notice specify the highway "as near as may be" and that the notice be served on all interested parties. New s. 82.33 requires the notice to contain a legal description and scale map. In addition, the notice must be served on the parties specified in new s. 82.10 (4).

214,99 Section 99. 80.38 to 80.40 of the statutes are repealed.

214,100 Section 100. 80.41 of the statutes is renumbered 66.1006 and amended to read:

66.1006 Discontinuing ways to waters Department of natural resources approval of discontinuance. No resolution, ordinance, order, or similar action of any a town board or county board , or of a committee thereof of a town board or county board, discontinuing any highway, street, alley, or right-of-way that provides public access to any navigable lake or stream shall be effective until such resolution, ordinance, order, or similar action is approved by the department of natural resources.

Note: No substantive change is intended, however, the special committee decided this provision was more appropriately placed in ch. 66.

214,101 Section 101. 80.47 of the statutes is renumbered 66.1035 and amended to read:

66.1035 Rights of abutting owners. The owners of land abutting on any highway, street, or alley shall have a common right in the free and unobstructed use thereof to its of the full width, and no of the highway, street, or alley. No town, village, city, county, company, or corporation shall close up, use, or obstruct any part of the highway, street, or alley so as to materially interfere with its usefulness as a highway or so as to damage abutting property abutting thereon, or permit the same to be done, without due just compensation being made for any resulting damage resulting therefrom to the owners of land upon either side of such highway, street or alley. This section does not impose liability for damages to property on both sides of any street, highway or alley arising from the use, maintenance, and operation of tracks or other public improvement legally laid down, built, or established in any street, highway, or alley prior to April 7, 1889. All rights of in property which would that could entitle the owners an owner to damages for injury thereto under the foregoing provisions this section may be condemned and permanently appropriated by any corporation authorized to use or obstruct any highway, street or alley that is listed in s. 32.02 in the same manner that other property may be condemned and appropriated by such by the corporation.

Note: No substantive change is intended. The special committee decided it was more appropriately placed in ch. 66.

214,102 Section 102. 80.48 of the statutes is repealed.

214,103 Section 103. 80.64 of the statutes is renumbered 66.1031, and 66.1031 (1), (2) and (3) (intro.) and (b), as renumbered, are amended to read:

66.1031 (1) With the approval of the governing body of the municipality a city, village, or town in which a street or highway or part thereof of a street or highway is located, the county board, to promote the general welfare, may establish street and highway widths in excess of the widths in use and adopt plans showing the location and width proposed for any future street or highway, which shall not be subject to s. 80.32 82.19 (2). Streets or highways or plans therefor for streets or highways established or adopted under this section shall be shown on a map showing present and proposed street or highway lines and, except in counties having a population of 500,000 or more, property lines and owners. The map shall be recorded in the office of the register of deeds, subject to s. 59.43 (2m) and, if applicable, the requirements under s. 84.095. Notice of the recording shall be published as a class 1 notice, under ch. 985, in the territory any city, village, or town in which the affected streets or highways are located. The notice shall briefly set forth the action of the county board. The county board, upon like approval, publication and notice, may from time to time supplement or change the same, and such supplements or changes shall be similarly recorded in the office of the register of deeds.

(2) The excess width for streets or highways in use for the right-of-way required for those planned, may be acquired at any time either in whole or in part by the state or, county or municipality , city, village, or town in which located; but no part shall be acquired in less than the full extent, in width, of the excess width to be made up of land on the same side of the street or highway, nor for less than the full length of such excess width lying within contiguous land owned by the same owner. Any land so acquired, whether the excess width is acquired for the full length of the street or highway or not, shall at once become available for highway purposes. The power to acquire such right-of-way or additional width in portions as provided herein in this section may be exercised to acquire the land on advantageous terms.

(3) (intro.) In counties containing a population of 500,000 or more if, subsequent to the establishment of widths on streets or highways by a county board with the approval of the governing body of the municipality in which the streets or highways lie under sub. (2), in conformity with this section or s. 59.69, any area embracing a street or highway upon which a width has been established under this section is annexed to a city or village or becomes a city or village by incorporation, the city or village shall thereafter adhere to the established width, and shall not, subsequent to any annexation or incorporation, except with the approval of the county board, do any of the following:

(b) Permit or sanction any construction or development which that will interfere with, prevent, or jeopardize the obtaining of the necessary right-of-way to such established width.

214,104 Section 104. 80.65 of the statutes is repealed.

214,105 Section 105. Chapter 81 (title) of the statutes is repealed.

214,106 Section 106. 81.01 (title) of the statutes is renumbered 82.03 (title) and amended to read:

82.03 (title) Highways; duties Duties of town board.

214,107 Section 107. 81.01 (intro.) and (1) of the statutes are consolidated, renumbered 82.03 (1) (a) and amended to read:

82.03 (1) (a) The town board shall have the care and supervision of all highways in the town, except as otherwise provided under the town's jurisdiction, including the highways specified in s. 83.06. The town board shall: (1) Appoint may appoint in writing if it deems advisable a superintendent of highways to supervise, under the board's direction of the board, the construction and, repair of said, and maintenance of the highways and bridges and fix the compensation and the amount of the bond of such superintendent under the town's jurisdiction. Where no superintendent of highways is appointed, it shall be the duty of the town board to perform all of the duties that are prescribed by law for the superintendent of highways to perform, including keeping the highways passable at all times.

214,108 Section 108. 81.01 (2) of the statutes is renumbered 82.03 (1) (d) and amended to read:

82.03 (1) (d) Provide The town board shall provide the superintendent of highways with necessary forms and books made in compliance with standards prescribed by the department of transportation.

214,109 Section 109. 81.01 (3) of the statutes is renumbered 82.03 (2), and 82.03 (2) (intro.) and (b), as renumbered, are amended to read:

82.03 (2) Funding and equipment. (intro.) Provide The town board shall provide machinery, implements, material, and equipment needed to construct, maintain, and repair said the highways and bridges under the town's jurisdiction, and for that purpose those purposes may acquire by purchase or by condemnation in the manner provided by under ch. 32 stone, gravel, sand, clay, earth, gravel pits and, stone quarries, but the and interests in land under s. 83.07. The total sum spent under this subsection in any year for construction, maintenance, and repair of highways and bridges may not exceed the product of $5,000 multiplied by the miles of highway under the jurisdiction of the town measured by the most recent highway mileage for the town, as determined under s. 86.302, unless one of the following occurs:

(b) The town board, by resolution, submits to the electors of the town as a referendum at a general or special town election the question of exceeding the limit set under this subsection. A copy of the resolution shall be filed as provided in s. 8.37. The board shall abide by the majority vote of the electors of the town on the question. The question shall read as follows:

Shall the town of .... spend up to $.... over ...., which is the annual limit of the product of $5,000 multiplied by the miles of highway under the jurisdiction of the town measured by the most recent highway mileage for the town, as determined under section 86.302 of the Wisconsin Statutes, for the construction, maintenance, and repair of its highways and bridges?

FOR SPENDING⍽AGAINST SPENDING⍽

Note: In new s. 82.03 (2) (b), the ballot language has been changed. The change in the wording of the ballot makes the ballot include the actual amount that the town is already authorized to spend. Current law seems to only require a statement of the means by which the dollar limit is arrived at. The list of materials in current s. 81.06 has been added to new s. 82.03 (2).

214,110 Section 110. 81.01 (4) of the statutes is renumbered 82.03 (3) and amended to read:

82.03 (3) Oversight of superintendent. Compel The town board shall direct the superintendent of highways from time to time to perform in the performance of the superintendent's official duties.

214,111 Section 111. 81.01 (5), (6), (7) and (9) of the statutes are repealed.

Note: The special committee decided that s. 81.01 (5, (6), (7), and (9) were obsolete.

214,112 Section 112. 81.01 (8) of the statutes is renumbered 82.03 (4) and amended to read:

82.03 (4) Control of expenditures. Direct The town board shall direct when and where all town moneys received from highway taxes and other available highway funds shall be expended.

214,113 Section 113. 81.01 (10) of the statutes is renumbered 82.03 (5) (b) (intro) and amended to read:

82.03 (5) (b) (intro.) Enter The town supervisors may enter any private lands with their employees and agents for the following purposes of removing :

1. To remove weeds and brush and of erecting or removing such to keep the highway reasonably safe for travel.

2. To erect or remove snow fences as may be necessary to keep highways reasonably free from snow and open for travel during the winter season.

Note: The new s. 82.03 (5) is also based on current s. 81.01 (3) and the first one-third of current s. 81.06. It gives the supervisors the additional authority to enter private land in order to erect fences on the right-of-way. The new sub. (6) makes it clear that the town will be responsible for any resulting damages.

214,114 Section 114. 81.01 (11) of the statutes is renumbered 82.03 (7) and amended to read:

82.03 (7) Highway names. By The town board shall, by ordinance, assign a name to each of the roads in the town that are under town board the town's jurisdiction. No road name may be used on more than one road within the jurisdiction of the town.

214,115 Section 115. 81.02 (title) of the statutes is repealed.

214,116 Section 116. 81.02 of the statutes is renumbered 82.03 (1) (b) and amended to read:

82.03 (1) (b) The town board may appoint more than one superintendent of highways. If more than one superintendent is appointed, the town board shall divide the town into as many districts as there are superintendents. The districts shall be numbered and a superintendent shall be assigned to each district. The term of office of highway superintendents shall be one year from the date of their appointment. A superintendent of highways may be compensated by a regular salary or by a per diem allowance, to be paid out of the highway fund or out of the general fund of the town. In addition to a salary or per diem compensation the superintendent may be paid out of either of said funds a stated amount for the maintenance and upkeep of a horse or automobile or motor truck. Such superintendent before entering upon the duties of superintendent shall execute an official bond in such sum as the town board shall require, with sureties to be approved by the board, and file said bond with the town clerk A superintendent may be a member of the town board.

Note: In new s. 82.03 (1), language was included to state that the superintendent of highways could be a member of the town board. Current s. 60.37 (4) (a) already authorizes this.

214,117 Section 117. 81.03 (title) of the statutes is renumbered 82.05 (title) and amended to read:

82.05 (title) Superintendent of highways ; duties.

214,118 Section 118. 81.03 of the statutes is renumbered 82.05 (2) and amended to read:

82.05 (2) The superintendent of highways shall supervise the construction and maintenance of all highways in the superintendent's district that are required to be maintained by the town, and keep them passable at all times, and perform such other services in connection with said the highways as the town board requires, and keep a full account of all the superintendent's receipts and disbursements. The superintendent may make such arrangement arrange for the prosecution of the highway work as the superintendent deems considers necessary and appoint such supervisors as any overseers that the highway work requires.

(3) When any highway under the superintendent's charge becomes impassable, the superintendent shall put the same highway in passable condition as soon as practicable. The superintendent shall make a complete and full report of all funds received and disbursed by the superintendent whenever requested so to do by the town board, and shall also make a complete and full report to each annual town meeting. The superintendent, and in the superintendent's absence the town board, shall immediately upon notice of its existence fill or remove Upon actual notice of the existence of any depression, ditch, hump, or embankment which that impedes the use of any highway in under the superintendent's district charge, the superintendent, or in the absence of a superintendent the chairperson of the town board, shall as soon as practicable take action to make the highway safe for travel, which may include closing the highway.

Note: Current s. 81.03 seemed to contemplate the superintendent having a separate set of accounting books and paying and receiving money. The special committee decided that such a system had the potential for fraud and confusion. Instead, new s. 82.05 (4) simply requires the superintendent to report all actions to the board, and the board can handle making and receiving payments.