Chapter 66

66.0509 66.0509 Civil service system; veterans preference.

66.0509(1) (1) Any city or village may proceed under s. 61.34 (1), 62.11 (5) or 66.0101 to establish a civil service system of selection, tenure and status, and the system may be made applicable to all municipal personnel except the chief executive and members of the governing body, members of boards and commissions including election officials, employees subject to s. 62.13, members of the judiciary and supervisors. Any town may establish a civil service system under this subsection. For veterans there shall be no restrictions as to age, and veterans and their spouses shall be given preference points in accordance with s. 63.08 (1) (fm). The system may also include uniform provisions in respect to attendance, leave regulations, compensation and payrolls for all personnel included in the system. The governing body of any city, village or town establishing a civil service system under this section may exempt from the system the librarians and assistants subject to s. 43.09 (1).

66.0509(1m) (1m) 

66.0509(1m)(a) (a) A local governmental unit, as defined in s. 66.0131 (1) (a), that does not have a civil service system on June 29, 2011, shall establish a grievance system not later than October 1, 2011.

66.0509(1m)(b) (b) To comply with the grievance system that is required under par. (a), a local governmental unit may establish either a civil service system under any provision authorized by law, to the greatest extent practicable, if no specific provision for the creation of a civil service system applies to that local governmental unit, or establish a grievance procedure as described under par. (d).

66.0509(1m)(c) (c) Any civil service system that is established under any provision of law, and any grievance procedure that is created under this subsection, shall contain at least all of the following provisions:

66.0509(1m)(c)1. 1. A grievance procedure that addresses employee terminations.

66.0509(1m)(c)2. 2. Employee discipline.

66.0509(1m)(c)3. 3. Workplace safety.

66.0509(1m)(d) (d) If a local governmental unit creates a grievance procedure under this subsection, the procedure shall contain at least all of the following elements:

66.0509(1m)(d)1. 1. A written document specifying the process that a grievant and an employer must follow.

66.0509(1m)(d)2. 2. A hearing before an impartial hearing officer.

66.0509(1m)(d)3. 3. An appeal process in which the highest level of appeal is the governing body of the local governmental unit.

66.0509(1m)(e) (e) If an employee of a local governmental unit is covered by a civil service system on June 29, 2011, and if that system contains provisions that address the provisions specified in par. (c), the provisions that apply to the employee under his or her existing civil service system continue to apply to that employee.

66.0509(2) (2) 

66.0509(2)(a) (a) Any town may establish a civil service system under sub. (1) and in the departments that the town board may determine. Any person who has been employed in a department for more than 5 years before the establishment of a civil service system applicable to that department is eligible to appointment without examination.

66.0509(2)(b) (b) Any town not having a civil service system and having exercised the option of placing assessors under civil service under s. 60.307 (3) may establish a civil service system for assessors under sub. (1), unless the town has come within the jurisdiction of a county assessor under s. 70.99.

66.0509(3) (3) When any town has established a system of civil service, the ordinance establishing the system may not be repealed for a period of 6 years after its enactment, and after the 6-year period it may be repealed only by proceedings under s. 9.20 by referendum vote. This subsection does not apply if a town comes, before the expiration of the 6 years, within the jurisdiction of a county assessor under s. 70.99.

66.0509(4) (4) Any civil service system established under the provisions of this section shall provide for the appointment of a civil service board or commission and for the removal of the members of the board or commission for cause by the mayor with approval of the council, by the city manager and the council in a city organized under ss. 64.01 to 64.15, and by the board in a village or town.

66.0509(5) (5) All examinations given in a civil service system established under this section, including minimum training and experience requirements, for positions in the classified service shall be job-related in compliance with appropriate validation standards and shall be subject to the approval of the board or commission appointed under sub. (4). All relevant experience, whether paid or unpaid, shall satisfy experience requirements.

66.0509 History History: 1971 c. 152 s. 38; 1971 c. 154, 211; 1977 c. 196; 1983 a. 532; 1985 a. 225; 1991 a. 101; 1993 a. 246; 1999 a. 150 s. 310; Stats. 1999 s. 66.0509; 2005 a. 22; 2011 a. 10; 2015 a. 150.

66.0509 Annotation A county’s grievance procedure that excluded the plaintiff’s dismissal from being grieved violated sub. (1m)’s mandate that the grievance procedure address terminations. Not all employee separations are “terminations” within the meaning of sub. (1m). Whatever the precise parameters of “terminations,” the term is not commonly used to describe situations in which an employee voluntarily quits or retires. However, the action taken against the plaintiff in this case was a termination within the plain meaning of the statute, and the denial of the opportunity to grieve the termination was impermissible. Dodge County Professional Employees Local 1323-A v. Dodge County, 2014 WI App 8, 352 Wis. 2d 400, 842 N.W.2d 500, 13-0535.

66.0509 Annotation Neither this section nor the defendant county’s grievance policy provided the substantive restrictions necessary to transform the plaintiff’s employment into one that could be terminated only for cause. Under Wisconsin law, a dichotomy exists between employment at-will and employment that can be terminated only for cause. Only those employees whose employment falls within the “for cause” category receive due process protections. Even if this section requiring a grievance process and the defendant county’s implementation of such a policy moved the plaintiff’s employment out of the “at-will” category, there was no evidence of terms limiting the employer’s discretion to terminate the plaintiff’s employment only for cause. Nesvold v. Roland, 37 F. Supp. 3d 1027 (2014).

66.0510 66.0510 Benefits to officers, employees, agents.

66.0510(1) (1) Definitions. In this section:

66.0510(1)(a) (a) “Employee benefit plan” means a plan as defined in 29 USC 1002 (3).

66.0510(1)(b) (b) “Local governmental unit” has the definition given in s. 66.0131 (1) (a).

66.0510(2) (2) Benefits. If a local governmental unit provides an employee benefit plan to its officers, agents, and employees, the plan may cover only such officers, agents, and employees and their spouses and dependent children.

66.0510 History History: 2017 a. 59.

66.0511 66.0511 Law enforcement agencies; certain policies.

66.0511(1) (1) Definitions. In this section:

66.0511(1)(a) (a) “Choke hold” means the intentional and prolonged application of force to the throat, windpipe, or carotid arteries that prevents or hinders breathing or blood flow, reduces the intake of air, or reduces blood flow to the head.

66.0511(1)(b) (b) “Law enforcement agency” has the meaning given under s. 165.83 (1) (b).

66.0511(2) (2) Use of force policy. Each person in charge of a law enforcement agency shall prepare in writing a policy or standard regulating the use of force by law enforcement officers in the performance of their duties. The law enforcement agency shall make the policy or standard publicly available on a website maintained by the law enforcement agency or, if the agency does not maintain its own site, on a website maintained by the municipality over which the law enforcement agency has jurisdiction. If the policy or standard is changed, the law enforcement agency shall ensure the website displays the updated policy or standard as soon as practically possible but no later than one year after the change is made. The law enforcement agency shall also prominently display a means of requesting a copy of the policy or standard. If a person requests a copy of the policy or standard, the law enforcement agency shall provide a copy of the current policy or standard free of charge as soon as practically possible but no later than 3 business days after the request is made. A law enforcement agency may not authorize the use of choke holds by law enforcement officers in a policy or standard under this subsection, except in life-threatening situations or in self-defense.

66.0511(3) (3) Citizen complaint procedure. Each person in charge of a law enforcement agency shall prepare in writing and make available for public scrutiny a specific procedure for processing and resolving a complaint by any person regarding the conduct of a law enforcement officer employed by the agency. The writing prepared under this subsection shall include a conspicuous notification of the prohibition and penalty under s. 946.66.

66.0511(4) (4) Human trafficking prevention and enforcement. Each person in charge of a law enforcement agency in a county that has received a recommendation from the human trafficking council under s. 165.29 (1) (d) is encouraged to designate a law enforcement officer of the law enforcement agency to coordinate the law enforcement agency’s human trafficking prevention and enforcement efforts.

Effective date note NOTE: Sub. (4) is created eff. 7-1-25 by 2023 Wis. Act 239. Sub. (4) is repealed eff. 6-30-29 by 2023 Wis. Act 239.

66.0511 History History: 1987 a. 131; 1997 a. 176; 1999 a. 150 s. 366; Stats. 1999 s. 66.0511; 2021 a. 48, 49, 240; 2023 a. 239.

66.0512 66.0512 Whistleblower protection for certain disclosures made by municipal clerks. No municipal clerk, as defined in s. 5.02 (10), county clerk, as defined in s. 5.02 (2), or election official, as defined in s. 5.02 (4e), may be discharged, disciplined, demoted, or otherwise discriminated against in regard to employment, or threatened with any such treatment, as a reprisal because the clerk or election official lawfully reported, or is believed to have reported, witnessing what the clerk or election official reasonably believed to be election fraud or irregularities. For purposes of this section, “lawfully reported” means a report of information the disclosure of which is not expressly prohibited by state or federal law, rule, or regulation.

Effective date note NOTE: This section is created eff. 7-1-25 by 2023 Wis. Act 126.

66.0512 History History: 2023 a. 126.

66.0513 66.0513 Police, pay when acting outside county or municipality.

66.0513(1) (1) Any chief of police, sheriff, deputy sheriff, county traffic officer or other peace officer of any city, county, village or town, who is required by command of the governor, sheriff or other superior authority to maintain the peace, or who responds to the request of the authorities of another municipality, to perform police or peace duties outside territorial limits of the city, county, village or town where the officer is employed, is entitled to the same wage, salary, pension, worker’s compensation, and all other service rights for this service as for service rendered within the limits of the city, county, village or town where regularly employed.

66.0513(2) (2) All wage and disability payments, pension and worker’s compensation claims, damage to equipment and clothing, and medical expense arising under sub. (1), shall be paid by the city, county, village or town regularly employing the officer. Upon making the payment the city, county, village or town shall be reimbursed by the state, county or other political subdivision whose officer or agent commanded the services out of which the payments arose.

66.0513 History History: 1975 c. 147 s. 54; 1999 a. 150 s. 367; Stats. 1999 s. 66.0513.

66.0513 Annotation The use of the phrase “required by command” in sub. (1) plainly does not mean that officers who volunteer to go to another city, county, village, or town are excluded from worker’s compensation and other benefits. A governmental body obligated to reimburse another for worker’s compensation payments under this section is obligated under worker’s compensation law for purposes of worker’s compensation insurance coverage. Milwaukee County v. Juneau County, 2004 WI App 23, 269 Wis. 2d 730, 676 N.W.2d 513, 02-2880.

66.0515 66.0515 Receipts for fees. Every officer or employee upon receiving fees shall, if requested to do so by the person paying the fees, deliver to that person a receipt for the fees, specifying for which account each portion of the fees respectively accrued.

66.0515 History History: 1991 a. 316; 1999 a. 150 s. 270; Stats. 1999 s. 66.0515.

66.0517 66.0517 Weed commissioner.

66.0517(1) (1) Definition. In this section, “noxious weeds” has the meaning given in s. 66.0407 (1) (b).

66.0517(2) (2) Appointment.

66.0517(2)(a) (a) Town, village and city weed commissioner. The chairperson of each town, the president of each village and the mayor of each city may appoint one or more commissioners of noxious weeds on or before May 15 in each year. A weed commissioner shall take the official oath and the oath shall be filed in the office of the town, village or city clerk. A weed commissioner shall hold office for one year and until a successor has qualified or the town chairperson, village president or mayor determines not to appoint a weed commissioner. If more than one commissioner is appointed, the town, village or city shall be divided into districts by the officer making the appointment and each commissioner shall be assigned to a different district. The town chairperson, village president or mayor may appoint a resident of any district to serve as weed commissioner in any other district of the same town, village or city.

66.0517(2)(b) (b) County weed commissioner. A county may by resolution adopted by its county board provide for the appointment of a county weed commissioner and determine the duties, term and compensation for the county weed commissioner. When a weed commissioner has been appointed under this paragraph and has qualified, the commissioner has the powers and duties of a weed commissioner described in this section. Each town chairperson, village president or mayor may appoint one or more deputy weed commissioners, who shall work in cooperation with the county weed commissioner in the district assigned by the appointing officer.

66.0517(3) (3) Powers, duties and compensation.

66.0517(3)(a) (a) Destruction of noxious weeds. A weed commissioner shall investigate the existence of noxious weeds in his or her district. If a person in a district neglects to destroy noxious weeds as required under s. 66.0407 (3), the weed commissioner shall destroy, or have destroyed, the noxious weeds in the most economical manner. A weed commissioner may enter upon any lands that are not exempt under s. 66.0407 (5) and cut or otherwise destroy noxious weeds without being liable to an action for trespass or any other action for damages resulting from the entry and destruction, if reasonable care is exercised.

66.0517(3)(b) (b) Compensation of weed commissioner.

66.0517(3)(b)1. 1. Except as provided in sub. (2) (b), a weed commissioner shall receive compensation for the destruction of noxious weeds as determined by the town board, village board, or city council upon presenting to the proper treasurer the account for noxious weed destruction, verified by oath and approved by the appointing officer. The account shall specify by separate items the amount chargeable to each piece of land, describing the land, and shall, after being paid by the treasurer, be filed with the town, village, or city clerk. The clerk shall enter the amount chargeable to each tract of land in the next tax roll in a column headed “For the Destruction of Weeds”, as a tax on the lands upon which the weeds were destroyed. The tax shall be collected under ch. 74, except in case of lands which are exempt from taxation, railroad lands, or other lands for which taxes are not collected under ch. 74. A delinquent tax may be collected as is a delinquent real property tax under chs. 74 and 75 or as is a delinquent personal property tax under ch. 74. In case of railroad lands or other lands for which taxes are not collected under ch. 74, the amount chargeable against these lands shall be certified by the town, village, or city clerk to the secretary of administration who shall add the amount designated to the sum due from the company owning, occupying, or controlling the lands specified. The secretary of administration shall collect the amount chargeable as prescribed in subch. I of ch. 76 and return the amount collected to the town, city, or village from which the certification was received.

66.0517(3)(b)2. 2. For the performance of duties other than the destruction of noxious weeds, a weed commissioner shall receive compensation to be determined by the town board, village board or city council.

66.0517 History History: 1999 a. 150; 2003 a. 33.

66.0518 66.0518 Defined benefit pension plans. A local governmental unit, as defined in s. 66.0131 (1) (a), may not establish a defined benefit pension plan for its employees unless the plan requires the employees to pay half of all actuarially required contributions for funding benefits under the plan and prohibits the local governmental unit from paying on behalf of an employee any of the employee’s share of the actuarially required contributions.

66.0518 History History: 2011 a. 10.

subch. VI of ch. 66 SUBCHAPTER VI

FINANCE; REVENUES

66.0601 66.0601 Appropriations.

66.0601(1) (1) Prohibited appropriations.

66.0601(1)(a) (a) Bonus to state institution. No appropriation or bonus, except a donation, may be made by a town, village, or city, nor municipal liability created nor tax levied, as a consideration or inducement to the state to locate any public educational, charitable, reformatory, or penal institution.

66.0601(1)(b) (b) Payments for abortions restricted. No city, village, town, long-term care district under s. 46.2895 or agency or subdivision of a city, village or town may authorize funds for or pay to a physician or surgeon or a hospital, clinic or other medical facility for the performance of an abortion except those permitted under and which are performed in accordance with s. 20.927.

66.0601(1)(c) (c) Payments for abortion-related activity restricted. No city, village, town, long-term care district under s. 46.2895 or agency or subdivision of a city, village or town may authorize payment of funds for a grant, subsidy or other funding involving a pregnancy program, project or service if s. 20.9275 (2) applies to the pregnancy program, project or service.

66.0601(2) (2) Celebration of holidays. A town, county, school board, or school district may appropriate money for the purpose of initiating or participating in appropriate celebrations of any legal holiday listed in s. 995.20.

66.0601 History History: 1999 a. 65 s. 14; 1999 a. 150 ss. 89, 90, 92, 94, 165 to 167; 2001 a. 30; 2005 a. 155; 2007 a. 20.

66.0602 66.0602 Local levy limits.

66.0602(1) (1) Definitions. In this section:

66.0602(1)(a) (a) “Debt service” includes debt service on debt issued or reissued to fund or refund outstanding municipal or county obligations, interest on outstanding municipal or county obligations, and related issuance costs and redemption premiums.

66.0602(1)(ak) (ak) “Joint emergency medical services district” means a joint emergency medical services district organized by any combination of 2 or more cities, villages, or towns under s. 66.0301 (2).

66.0602(1)(am) (am) “Joint fire department” means a joint fire department organized under s. 61.65 (2) (a) 3. or 62.13 (1m), or a joint fire department organized by any combination of 2 or more cities, villages, or towns under s. 66.0301 (2).

66.0602(1)(au) (au) “Municipality” means a city, village, or town.

66.0602(1)(b) (b) “Penalized excess” means the levy, in an amount that is at least $500 over the limit under sub. (2) for the political subdivision, not including any amount that is excepted from the limit under subs. (3), (4), and (5).

66.0602(1)(c) (c) “Political subdivision” means a city, village, town, or county.

66.0602(1)(cm) (cm) “Tax incremental base” has the meaning given in s. 66.1105 (2) (j).

66.0602(1)(d) (d) “Valuation factor” means a percentage equal to the greater of either the percentage change in the political subdivision’s January 1 equalized value due to new construction less improvements removed between the previous year and the current or 0 percent. For a tax incremental district created after December 31, 2024, and for Tax Incremental District Number 10 created by the common council of the city of Evansville, and for Tax Incremental District Number 14 created by the common council of the city of Stevens Point, the valuation factor includes 90 percent of the equalized value increase due to new construction that is located in a tax incremental district, but does not include any improvements removed in a tax incremental district.

66.0602 Note NOTE: Par. (d) is shown as amended by 2023 Wis. Acts 135 and 136 and as merged by the legislative reference bureau under s. 13.92 (2) (i).

66.0602(1)(e) (e) “Value increment” has the meaning given in s. 66.1105 (2) (m).

66.0602(2) (2) Levy limit.

66.0602(2)(a) (a) Except as provided in subs. (3), (4), and (5), no political subdivision may increase its levy in any year by a percentage that exceeds the political subdivision’s valuation factor. Except as provided in par. (b), the base amount in any year, to which the limit under this section applies, shall be the actual levy for the immediately preceding year. In determining its levy in any year, a city, village, or town shall subtract any tax increment that is calculated under s. 59.57 (3) (a), 60.85 (1) (L), or 66.1105 (2) (i). The base amount in any year, to which the limit under this section applies, may not include any amount to which sub. (3) (e) 8. applies.

66.0602(2)(b) (b) For purposes of par. (a), in 2018, and in each year thereafter, the base amount to which the limit under this section applies is the actual levy for the immediately preceding year, plus the amount of the payments under ss. 79.096 and 79.0965, and the levy limit is the base amount multiplied by the valuation factor, minus the amount of the payments under ss. 79.096 and 79.0965, except that the adjustments for payments received under s. 79.096 or 79.0965 do not apply to payments received under s. 79.096 (3) or 79.0965 (3) for a tax incremental district that has been terminated.

66.0602(2m) (2m) Negative adjustment.

66.0602(2m)(a) (a) If a political subdivision’s levy for the payment of any general obligation debt service, including debt service on debt issued or reissued to fund or refund outstanding obligations of the political subdivision and interest on outstanding obligations of the political subdivision, on debt originally issued before July 1, 2005, is less in the current year than it was in the previous year, the political subdivision shall reduce its levy limit in the current year by an amount equal to the amount that its levy was reduced as described in this subsection.

66.0602(2m)(b) (b)

66.0602(2m)(b)1. 1. In this paragraph, “covered service” means garbage collection, fire protection, snow plowing, street sweeping, or storm water management, except that garbage collection may not be a covered service for any political subdivision that owned and operated a landfill on January 1, 2013. With regard to fire protection, “covered service” does not include the production, storage, transmission, sale and delivery, or furnishing of water for public fire protection purposes.