SB513: Bill Text

LRB-4077/1

JK&MES:sac:jf

2013 - 2014 LEGISLATURE

2013 Senate BILL 513

January 23, 2014 - Introduced by Senator Lazich, cosponsored by Representatives Marklein, Ringhand and Bernier. Referred to Elections and Urban Affairs.

SB513,1,2 An Act to amend 66.0602 (4) (c) of the statutes; relating to: the information contained in referendum questions to authorize exceeding county levy limits.

Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau

Generally, under current law, and subject to a number of exceptions, a city, village, town, or county (political subdivision) may not increase its levy in any year by a percentage that exceeds its "valuation factor," which is defined as the greater of either zero percent or the percentage change in the political subdivision's equalized value due to new construction, less improvements removed. The base amount of a political subdivision's levy, on which the levy limit is imposed, is the actual levy for the immediately preceding year.

Under one of the current law exceptions, a political subdivision may exceed the levy limits that otherwise apply if the political subdivision's governing body adopts a resolution to that effect and the resolution is approved in a referendum.

Under current law, the wording in the referendum question that appears on the ballot must include information relating to the maximum allowable levy rate increase for the next year and the total levy for the next year. However, the information that is necessary to prepare the question is not available to the political subdivision in time to put the question on the ballot for the spring primary or election or partisan primary. The bill requires that in preparing the ballot question for a referendum at a partisan primary in 2014, a county with a population of at least 30,000, but no more than 40,000, that is adjacent to a county with a population exceeding 450,000, must use the most recent data that it has and the most recent data from the Department of Revenue.

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

SB513,1 Section 1. 66.0602 (4) (c) of the statutes is amended to read:

SB513,2,16 66.0602 (4) (c) The referendum shall be held in accordance with chs. 5 to 12. The political subdivision shall provide the election officials with all necessary election supplies. The form of the ballot shall correspond substantially with the standard form for referendum ballots prescribed by the elections board under ss. 5.64 (2) and 7.08 (1) (a). The question shall be submitted as follows: "Under state law, the increase in the levy of the .... (name of political subdivision) for the tax to be imposed for the next fiscal year, .... (year), is limited to ....%, which results in a levy of $.... Shall the .... (name of political subdivision) be allowed to exceed this limit and increase the levy for the next fiscal year, .... (year), by a total of ....%, which results in a levy of $....?". In preparing the ballot question for a referendum held at a partisan primary in 2014, as it relates to the allowable amount of levy rate increase and the total amount of a levy, a county with a population of at least 30,000, but no more than 40,000, that is adjacent to a county with a population exceeding 450,000, shall use the most recent data that it has and the most recent data that is available from the department of revenue.

SB513,2,17 (End)