SB150: Bill Text

LRB-2296/1

JTK&PJH:cjs:md

2011 - 2012 LEGISLATURE

2011 Senate BILL 150

July 11, 2011 - Introduced by Committee on Senate Organization. Referred to Committee on Judiciary, Utilities, Commerce, and Government Operations.

SB150,1,10 An Act to renumber and amend 59.10 (3) (c); to amend 5.15 (1) (a) 1. and 2., 5.15 (1) (b), 5.15 (1) (c), 5.15 (2) (bm), 5.15 (2) (e) and (f) (intro.), 5.15 (2) (f) 4., 5.15 (2) (g), 5.15 (4), 5.15 (6) (a), 5.15 (7), 5.18, 59.10 (2) (a), 59.10 (2) (d), 59.10 (3) (b) 1., 59.10 (3) (b) 2., 59.10 (3) (b) 4., 59.10 (3) (cm) 1., 59.10 (6), 62.08 (1), 62.08 (2), 62.08 (4m), 62.08 (5) and 119.08 (1) (b); and to create 5.15 (2) (b) (intro.), 59.10 (3) (b) 3., 59.10 (3) (c) 2. and 3., 751.035 and 801.50 (4m) of the statutes; relating to: division of municipalities into wards and redistricting of supervisory and aldermanic districts and appointing a panel to hear challenges to the apportionment of a congressional or legislative district, and hearing certain appeals.

Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau

Adjustment of municipal wards to accommodate redistricting plans

The bill requires municipal ward plans, and the aldermanic and supervisory districts upon which they are based, to reflect municipal boundaries on April 1 of the year of each federal decennial census. Currently, ward plans must reflect municipal boundaries on August 1 of the year following the year of the federal decennial census. The change applies retroactively to ward plans and aldermanic and supervisory districts created in response to the 2010 federal decennial census.

The bill also amends the laws governing municipal ward division to ensure that if municipal wards do not accommodate a congressional or legislative redistricting act on its date of enactment, the affected municipalities must change their wards so that their ward divisions enable the election of members of congress and members of the legislature under the redistricting act. Currently, the laws only partially accommodate this process.

Local ward division and redistricting timeline

Currently, within 60 days after the decennial population count, by block, becomes available from the U.S. Bureau of the Census, but no later than July 1 of each year following the year of the census, each county board of supervisors must submit to each municipality having territory in the county a tentative supervisory district plan or a description of boundary requirements for such a plan. Within 60 days after the receipt of this information from the county board of each county in which a municipality is located, each municipality having a population of 1,000 or more must adopt or readjust wards in accordance with statutory population parameters. In enacting or adopting its plan, a municipality must make a good faith effort to reflect the county's requirements in enacting a supervisory district plan. Within 60 days after every municipality having territory within a county enacts or adopts a ward division plan, the county must enact a final supervisory district plan combining contiguous whole wards to form supervisory districts.

This bill shortens the maximum time specified for action at each of the above stages of the redistricting process to 45 days, effective beginning with ward divisions and redistricting in response to the 2020 federal decennial census.

Municipal ward plan revisions

Currently, under the state constitution, the legislature is directed to redistrict legislative districts according to the number of inhabitants at its next session following each federal census. At the same intervals, the legislature also reapportions congressional districts in this state pursuant to federal law. Under current state law, following each decennial federal census, most municipalities are also required to divide their territory into wards, and counties and cities are required to redistrict supervisory and aldermanic districts so that the districts contain, as nearly as practicable, an equal number of inhabitants according to the census results. With limited exceptions, wards are required to consist of one or more whole, contiguous census blocks (the smallest geographic units for which census results are available). Counties and municipalities are required to complete this action in three steps, which in no case may conclude later than 180 days after publication of the census results. (Usually, the process begins in April and ends in October of the year following the year of the census.) If counties or municipalities fail to adopt division plans, the courts may do so upon petition by interested parties. Revised county and municipal district plans are used to elect members of county boards of supervisors and common councils in the spring of the second year following the year of the census. The legislative and congressional redistricting plans are used to elect members of the legislature and members of congress in the fall of the second year following the year of the census. The legislature may subdivide or adjust the boundaries of a municipal ward and use the revised ward boundaries to create a legislative or congressional district.

This bill amends various laws to facilitate the legislative and congressional redistricting process and directs counties and municipalities to revise their ward and districting plans to reflect any legislative act establishing a legislative or congressional district boundary that does not coincide with a ward or municipal boundary.

The bill also provides that when a municipality is consolidated with another municipality, the governing body of the consolidated municipality must revise its municipal ward plan to the extent required to effect the change. Currently, the statutes do not address this issue.

County supervisory district plans

Currently, within 60 days after publication of the federal decennial census, each county must adopt a tentative county supervisory district plan. Each municipality must adopt a ward division plan, if it is required to do so, within 60 days after the county or counties in which the municipality is located adopt a tentative county supervisory district plan, and each county then must adopt a final supervisory district plan within 60 days after every municipality in the county adopts a ward division plan, if it is required to do so. Currently, the tentative plan must include suggested boundaries or information concerning the number of supervisors to be elected and a description of boundary requirements.

This bill provides that a final county supervisory district plan must not be inconsistent with the tentative plan except to accommodate authorized municipal ward divisions or to reflect an official correction to the census. The bill also applies to amended supervisory district plans in counties other than Milwaukee and Menominee the same standards with respect to contiguity, compactness, numbering, and applicability that apply to amended plans in Milwaukee County. In addition, the bill applies to tentative district plans in Milwaukee County the same standards with respect to contiguity that apply to final district plans in that county.

Incorporation of census corrections

Currently, decennial ward division plans, as well as decennial county supervisory and city aldermanic district plans, are based on the federal decennial census. The statutes do not treat the issue of corrections that the U.S. Bureau of the Census issues. This bill provides that the ward plans and aldermanic district plans shall reflect the census results, including any corrections, for the populations of counties, municipalities, and census blocks on April 1 of the year of the census, if corrections are issued prior to adoption of a decennial ward plan, or if a municipality that is affected by a correction is not divided into wards, prior to adoption of a county supervisory district plan.

Amended aldermanic district plans

The bill makes an amended aldermanic district plan that may be adopted in certain cities in response to an intradecade county supervisory district plan subject to the same passage and notice requirements, and district composition requirements, that apply currently to original decennial aldermanic district plans. Under current law, absent members are not included in determining passage requirements and there are no notice and district composition requirements for these amended plans.

Challenges to apportionment of congressional and legislative districts; hearing of appeals

This bill requires the supreme court to assign a three-judge panel to hear any matter that seeks to challenge the apportionment of a congressional or legislative district. Under the bill, the supreme court must choose a judge from each of three circuits and designate one circuit as having venue for purposes of hearings and filing documents.

Under the bill, no party may seek to substitute any of the assigned judges and any appeal of the panel's decisions are to be heard directly by the supreme court.

Minor and technical changes

The bill also makes other minor technical changes in the law to facilitate the ward division and county and municipal redistricting process.

The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:

SB150, s. 1 Section 1. 5.15 (1) (a) 1. and 2. of the statutes are amended to read:

SB150,4,9 5.15 (1) (a) 1. Every city, village, and town in this state shall by ordinance or resolution of its common council or village or town board, respectively, be divided into wards as provided in this section, except as authorized in sub. (2). The boundaries of the wards established under this section, and the number assigned to each ward, are intended to be as permanent as possible, and to this end each ward shall when created contain a population at a convenient point within the applicable population range under sub. (2) (b), with due consideration for the known trends of population increase or decrease within that part of the municipality in which the ward is located.

SB150,5,8 2. Once established, the boundaries of each ward shall remain unchanged until a further decennial federal census of population indicates that the population of a ward is then above or below the applicable population range, or until the ward boundaries are required to be changed to permit creation of supervisory or aldermanic districts of substantially equal population or to enhance the participation of members of a racial or language minority group in the political process and their ability to elect representatives of their choice , or until otherwise authorized or required under this section.

SB150, s. 2 Section 2. 5.15 (1) (b) of the statutes is amended to read:

SB150,5,24 5.15 (1) (b) Except as authorized in sub. (2) (a), within 60 45 days after the receipt of a tentative supervisory district plan and written statement, if any, from the county board of each county in which a municipality is located, the governing body of the municipality shall adjust its wards according to the schedule shown in sub. (2). All territory contained within the municipality, and only the territory so contained, on August 1 following April 1 of the year of the federal decennial census shall be contained within a ward established under the division ordinance or resolution. Except as authorized in sub. (2), each ward shall consist of whole blocks, as utilized by the U.S. bureau of the census in the most recent federal decennial census. To suit the convenience of the voters residing therein each ward shall, as far as practicable, be kept compact and observe the community of interest of existing neighborhoods and other settlements. All territory within a ward shall be contiguous, except for island territory as defined in sub. (2) (f) 3. Enactment or adoption of a division ordinance or resolution requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the members of the governing body.

SB150, s. 3 Section 3. 5.15 (1) (c) of the statutes is amended to read:

SB150,6,16 5.15 (1) (c) The wards established by municipal governing bodies in a division ordinance or resolution enacted or adopted under this section on the basis of the published results of each federal decennial census of population shall govern the adjustment of supervisory districts under s. 59.10 (2) (a) and (3) (b) and of aldermanic districts under s. 62.08 (1) for the purpose of local elections beginning on January 1 of the 2nd year commencing after the year of the census until revised under this section on the basis of the results of the next decennial census of population unless adjusted under sub. (2) (f) 4., (6) (a) or (7), or unless adjusted, as a matter of statewide concern, in the enactment of a division is required to effect an act of the legislature redistricting legislative districts under article IV, section 3, of the constitution on the basis of the most recent decennial census of population or redistricting congressional districts. The populations of wards under each decennial ward division shall be determined on the basis of the federal decennial census and any official corrections to the census issued on or before the date of adoption of the division ordinance or resolution to reflect the correct populations of the municipality and the blocks within the municipality on April 1 of the year of the census.

SB150, s. 4 Section 4. 5.15 (2) (b) (intro.) of the statutes is created to read:

SB150,6,21 5.15 (2) (b) (intro.) Except for wards created to effect an act of the legislature redistricting legislative districts under article IV, section 3, of the constitution or redistricting congressional districts and except as authorized under pars. (bm), (c), (e), and (f) and sub. (7), wards shall contain the following numbers of inhabitants:

SB150, s. 5 Section 5. 5.15 (2) (bm) of the statutes is amended to read:

SB150,7,3 5.15 (2) (bm) Every city electing the members of its common council from aldermanic districts shall assemble the blocks wholly or partially contained within the city into wards that will enable the creation of aldermanic districts that are substantially equal in population. If a block is partly contained within the city, the city shall divide the block to form a ward containing the portion of the block that lies within the city.