66.1341 Towns to have certain city powers.
Ch. 66 Note
NOTE: Chapter 66 was substantially revised by
1999 Wis. Act 150, which contained extensive explanatory notes. See Laws of Wisconsin, 1999.
GENERAL POWERS; ADMINISTRATION
66.0101
66.0101
Home rule; manner of exercise. 66.0101(1)
(1) Under
article XI, section 3, of the constitution, the method of determination of the local affairs and government of cities and villages shall be as prescribed in this section.
66.0101(1m)
(1m) In this section, "charter ordinance" means an ordinance that enacts, amends or repeals the charter, or any part of the charter, of a city or village or that makes the election under
sub. (4).
66.0101(2)(a)(a) A city or village may enact a charter ordinance. A charter ordinance shall be designated as a charter ordinance, requires a two-thirds vote of the members-elect of the legislative body of the city or village, and is subject to referendum as provided in this section.
66.0101(2)(b)
(b) A charter ordinance that amends or repeals a city or village charter shall designate specifically the portion of the charter that is amended or repealed. A charter ordinance that makes the election under
sub. (4) shall designate specifically each enactment of the legislature or portion of the enactment that is made inapplicable to the city or village by the election.
66.0101(3)
(3) A charter ordinance shall be published as a class 1 notice, under
ch. 985, and shall be recorded by the clerk in a permanent book kept for that purpose, with a statement of the manner of its adoption. A certified copy of the charter ordinance shall be filed by the clerk with the secretary of state. The secretary of state shall keep a separate index of all charter ordinances, arranged alphabetically by city and village and summarizing each ordinance, and annually shall issue the index of charter ordinances filed during the 12 months prior to July 1.
66.0101(4)
(4) A city or village may elect under this section that any law relating to the local affairs and government of the city or village other than those enactments of the legislature of statewide concern as shall with uniformity affect every city or every village shall not apply to the city or village, and when the election takes effect, the law ceases to be in effect in the city or village.
66.0101(5)
(5) A charter ordinance does not take effect until 60 days after its passage and publication. If within the 60-day period a petition conforming to the requirements of
s. 8.40 and signed by a number of electors of the city or village equal to not less than 7% of the votes cast in the city or village for governor at the last general election is filed in the office of the clerk of the city or village demanding that the ordinance be submitted to a vote of the electors, it may not take effect until it is submitted to a referendum and approved by a majority of the electors voting in the referendum. The petition and the proceedings for its submission are governed by
s. 9.20 (2) to
(6).
66.0101(6)
(6) A charter ordinance may be initiated under
s. 9.20 (1) to
(6), but alternative adoption of the charter ordinance by the legislative body is subject to referendum under
sub. (5).
66.0101(7)
(7) A charter ordinance may be submitted to a referendum by the legislative body, under
s. 9.20 (4) to
(6), without initiative petition, and becomes effective when approved by a majority of the electors voting in the referendum.
66.0101(8)
(8) A charter ordinance enacted or approved by a vote of the electors controls over any prior or subsequent act of the legislative body of the city or village. If the electors of any city or village by a majority vote have adopted or determined to continue to operate under either
ch. 62 or
64, or have determined the method of selection of members of the governing board, the question shall not again be submitted to the electors, nor action taken on the question, within a period of 2 years. Any election to change or amend the charter of any city or village, other than a special election as provided in
s. 9.20 (4), shall be held at the time provided by statute for holding the spring election.
66.0101(9)(a)(a) The legislative body of a city or village, by resolution adopted by a two-thirds vote of its members-elect may, and upon petition complying with
s. 9.20 shall, submit to the electors under
s. 9.20 (4) to
(6) the question of holding a charter convention under one or more plans proposed in the resolution or petition.
66.0101(9)(b)
(b) The ballot shall be in substantially the following form:
Shall a charter convention be held?
YES⍽ NO ⍽
If a charter convention is held what plan do you favor?
PLAN 1 ⍽ PLAN 2 ⍽
[Repeat for each plan proposed.]
Mark an [X] in the square to the RIGHT of the plan that you select.
66.0101(9)(c)
(c) If a majority of the electors voting vote for a charter convention, the convention shall be held pursuant to the plan favored by a majority of the total votes cast for all plans. If no plan receives a majority, the 2 plans receiving the highest number of votes shall be again submitted to the electors and a convention shall be held pursuant to the plan favored by a majority of the votes cast.
66.0101(9)(d)
(d) A charter convention may adopt a charter or amendments to the existing charter. The charter or charter amendments adopted by the convention shall be certified, as soon as practicable, by the presiding officer and secretary of the convention to the city or village clerk and shall be submitted to the electors as provided under
s. 9.20 (4) to
(6), without the alternative provided in
s. 9.20 (4) to
(6), and take effect when approved by a majority of the electors voting.
66.0101(10)
(10) Nothing in this section shall be construed to impair the right of cities or villages under existing or future authority to enact ordinances or resolutions other than charter ordinances.
66.0101(12)
(12) Every charter ordinance enacted under s.
66.01, 1943 stats., which was adopted by the governing body prior to December 31, 1944, and which also was published prior to that date in the official newspaper of the city or village, or, if there was none, in a newspaper having general circulation in the city or village, shall be valid as of the date of the original publication notwithstanding the failure to publish the ordinance under s.
10.43 (5) and
(6), 1943 stats.
66.0101 History
History: 1999 a. 150 ss.
18 to
27; Stats. 1999 s. 66.0101;
2011 a. 32.
66.0101 Annotation
A charter ordinance must be legislative in character before it can be validly initiated by direct legislation. Save Our Fire Department Paramedics Committee v. Appleton,
131 Wis. 2d 366,
389 N.W.2d 43 (Ct. App. 1986).
66.0101 Annotation
The city of Milwaukee cannot, by charter ordinance, adopt s. 62.13 (5) (b) since s. 62.13 deals with a subject of state-wide concern; it cannot do so under s. 62.03 since that requires the adoption of whole statute sections. 58 Atty. Gen. 59.
66.0103
66.0103
Code of ordinances. 66.0103(1)(1) The governing body of a city, village, town or county may authorize the preparation of a code of some or all of its general ordinances. The code may be enacted by an ordinance that incorporates the code by reference. A copy of the code shall be available for public inspection not less than 2 weeks before it is enacted. After the code is enacted, a copy shall be maintained and available for public inspection in the office of the city, village, town or county clerk.
66.0103 History
History: 1999 a. 150.
66.0104
66.0104
Prohibiting ordinances that place certain limits or requirements on a landlord. 66.0104(2)(a)(a) No city, village, town, or county may enact an ordinance that places any of the following limitations on a residential landlord:
66.0104(2)(a)1.
1. Prohibits a landlord from, or places limitations on a landlord with respect to, obtaining and using or attempting to obtain and use any of the following information with respect to a tenant or prospective tenant:
66.0104(2)(a)1.e.
e. Court records, including arrest and conviction records, to which there is public access.
66.0104(2)(a)2.
2. Limits how far back in time a prospective tenant's credit information, conviction record, or previous housing may be taken into account by a landlord.
66.0104(2)(a)3.
3. Prohibits a landlord from, or places limitations on a landlord with respect to, entering into a rental agreement for a premises with a prospective tenant during the tenancy of the current tenant of the premises.
66.0104(2)(a)4.
4. Prohibits a landlord from, or places limitations on a landlord with respect to, showing a premises to a prospective tenant during the tenancy of the current tenant of the premises.
66.0104(2)(b)
(b) No city, village, town, or county may enact an ordinance that places requirements on a residential landlord with respect to security deposits or earnest money or pretenancy or posttenancy inspections that are additional to the requirements under administrative rules related to residential rental practices.
66.0104(2)(c)
(c) No city, village, town, or county may enact an ordinance that limits a residential tenant's responsibility, or a residential landlord's right to recover, for any damage or waste to, or neglect of, the premises that occurs during the tenant's occupancy of the premises, or for any other costs, expenses, fees, payments, or damages for which the tenant is responsible under the rental agreement or applicable law.
66.0104(2)(d)1.a.a. No city, village, town, or county may enact an ordinance that requires a landlord to communicate to tenants any information that is not required to be communicated to tenants under federal or state law.
66.0104(2)(d)1.b.
b. Subdivision 1. a. does not apply to an ordinance that has a reasonable and clearly defined objective of regulating the manufacture of illegal narcotics.
66.0104(2)(d)2.
2. No city, village, town, or county may enact an ordinance that requires a landlord to communicate to the city, village, town, or county any information concerning the landlord or a tenant, unless any of the following applies:
66.0104(2)(d)2.b.
b. The information is required of all residential real property owners.
66.0104(2)(d)2.c.
c. The information is solely information that will enable a person to contact the owner or, at the option of the owner, an agent of the owner.
66.0104(3)(a)(a) If a city, village, town, or county has in effect on December 21, 2011, an ordinance that is inconsistent with
sub. (2) (a) or
(b), the ordinance does not apply and may not be enforced.
66.0104(3)(b)
(b) If a city, village, town, or county has in effect on March 1, 2014, an ordinance that is inconsistent with
sub. (2) (c) or
(d), the ordinance does not apply and may not be enforced.
66.0104 History
History: 2011 a. 108;
2013 a. 76.
66.0105
66.0105
Jurisdiction of overlapping extraterritorial powers. The extraterritorial powers granted to cities and villages by statute, including
ss. 30.745,
62.23 (2) and
(7a),
66.0415,
236.10 and
254.57, may not be exercised within the corporate limits of another city or village. Wherever these statutory extraterritorial powers overlap, the jurisdiction over the overlapping area shall be divided on a line all points of which are equidistant from the boundaries of each municipality concerned so that not more than one municipality shall exercise power over any area.
66.0105 History
History: 1981 c. 222 s.
2;
1993 a. 27;
1999 a. 150 s.
368; Stats. 1999 s. 66.0105.
66.0107
66.0107
Power of municipalities to prohibit criminal conduct. 66.0107(1)(1) The board or council of any town, village or city may:
66.0107(1)(a)
(a) Prohibit all forms of gambling and fraudulent devices and practices.
66.0107(1)(b)
(b) Seize anything devised solely for gambling or found in actual use for gambling and destroy the device after a judicial determination that it was used solely for gambling or found in actual use for gambling.
66.0107(1)(bm)
(bm) Enact and enforce an ordinance to prohibit the possession of marijuana, as defined in
s. 961.01 (14), subject to the exceptions in
s. 961.41 (3g) (intro.), and provide a forfeiture for a violation of the ordinance; except that if a complaint is issued regarding an allegation of possession of more than 25 grams of marijuana, or possession of any amount of marijuana following a conviction in this state for possession of marijuana, the subject of the complaint may not be prosecuted under this paragraph for the same action that is the subject of the complaint unless the charges are dismissed or the district attorney declines to prosecute the case.
66.0107(1)(bn)
(bn) Enact and enforce an ordinance to prohibit the possession of a controlled substance specified in
s. 961.14 (4) (tb) and provide a forfeiture for a violation of the ordinance, except that if a complaint is issued regarding an allegation of possession of a controlled substance specified in
s. 961.14 (4) (tb) following a conviction in this state for possession of a controlled substance, the subject of the complaint may not be prosecuted under this paragraph for the same action that is the subject of the complaint unless the charges are dismissed or the district attorney declines to prosecute the case.
66.0107 Note
NOTE: Par. (bn) is shown as affected by
2013 Wis. Acts 293 and
351 and as merged by the legislative reference bureau under s. 13.92 (2) (i).
66.0107(2)
(2) Except as provided in
sub. (3), nothing in this section may be construed to preclude cities, villages and towns from prohibiting conduct which is the same as or similar to that prohibited by
chs. 941 to
948.
66.0107(3)
(3) The board or council of a city, village or town may not, by ordinance, prohibit conduct which is the same as or similar to conduct prohibited by
s. 944.21.
66.0109
66.0109
Penalties under county and municipal ordinances. If a statute requires that the penalty under any county or municipal ordinance conform to the penalty provided by statute the ordinance may impose only a forfeiture and may provide for imprisonment if the forfeiture is not paid.
66.0109 History
History: 1971 c. 278;
1999 a. 150 s.
272; Stats. 1999 s. 66.0109.
66.0111
66.0111
Bond or cash deposit under municipal ordinances. 66.0111(1)(1) If a person is arrested for the violation of a city, village or town ordinance and the action is to be in circuit court, the chief of police or police officer designated by the chief, marshal or clerk of court may accept from the person a bond, in an amount not to exceed the maximum penalty for the violation, with sufficient sureties, or a cash deposit, for appearance in the court having jurisdiction of the offense. A receipt shall be issued for the bond or cash deposit.
66.0111(2)(a)(a) If the person released fails to appear, personally or by an authorized attorney or agent, before the court at the time fixed for hearing the case, the bond and money deposited, or an amount that the court determines to be an adequate penalty, plus costs, including any applicable fees prescribed in
ch. 814, may be declared forfeited by the court or may be ordered applied to the payment of any penalty which is imposed after an ex parte hearing, together with the costs. In either event, any surplus shall be refunded to the person who made the deposit.
66.0111(2)(b)
(b) This subsection does not apply to violations of parking ordinances. Bond or cash deposit given for appearance to answer a charge under any parking ordinance may be forfeited in the manner determined by the governing body.
