AB1180: Bill Text

LRB-4604/2

MES:jld:pg

2005 - 2006 LEGISLATURE

2005 Assembly BILL 1180

April 13, 2006 - Introduced by Representatives Gielow and Wasserman, cosponsored by Senator Darling, by request of North Shore Fire Department. Referred to Committee on Urban and Local Affairs.

AB1180,1,3 An Act to create 66.0602 (3) (h) of the statutes; relating to: creating an exception to the local levy limits for amounts assessed by a joint fire department.

Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau

The state budget bill, 2005 Wisconsin Act 25, created local levy limits that generally prohibit a political subdivision (any city, village, town, or county) from increasing its levy by a percentage that exceeds the percentage change in the political subdivision's equalized value due to new construction, less improvements removed, but not less than 2 percent, and not including any such changes in a tax incremental district. Current law contains exceptions to the levy limits for political subdivisions that transfer the provision of services, for cities or villages that annex town territory, and for a county levy that relates to a county Children with Disabilities Education Board. The levy limits do not apply beginning on January 1, 2007.

This bill creates another exception to the levy limits. Under the bill, the limits do not apply to amounts levied by a municipality (any city, village, or town) to pay for charges assessed by a joint fire department, but only to the extent that the assessment would cause the municipality to exceed the otherwise applicable levy limit. Also under the bill, the exception applies only if the total charges assessed by a joint fire department for the current year exceed the prior year's assessment by a percentage that is less than or equal to the percentage change in the consumer price index, plus 2 percent, and only if the governing bodies of each municipality served by the department adopt a resolution in favor of exceeding the limit.

For further information see the local fiscal estimate, which will be printed as an appendix to this bill.

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

AB1180, s. 1 Section 1. 66.0602 (3) (h) of the statutes is created to read:

AB1180,2,7 66.0602 (3) (h) 1. Subject to subd. 2., the limit otherwise applicable under this section does not apply to the amount that a city, village, or town levies in that year to pay for charges assessed by a joint fire department organized under s. 61.65 (2) (a) 3. or 62.13 (2m), but only to the extent that the amount levied to pay for such charges would cause the city, village, or town to exceed the limit that is otherwise applicable under this section.

AB1180,2,9 2. The exception to the limit that is described under subd. 1. applies only if all of the following apply:

AB1180,2,15 a. The total charges assessed by the joint fire department for the current year increase, relative to the total charges assessed by the joint fire department for the previous year, by a percentage that is less than or equal to the percentage change in the U.S. consumer price index for all urban consumers, U.S. city average, as determined by the U.S. department of labor, for the 12 months ending on September 30 of the year of the levy, plus 2 percent.

AB1180,2,18 b. The governing body of each city, village, and town that is served by the joint fire department adopts a resolution in favor of exceeding the limit as described in subd. 1.

AB1180,2,19 (End)