Wisconsin Statutes & Annotations
Chapter 66 - General municipality law.
66.0101 - Home rule; manner of exercise.

66.0101 Home rule; manner of exercise.
(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.
(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).
(2)
(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.
(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amends or repeals a city or village charter shall designate specifically the portion of the charter that is amended or repealed.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.
(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.
(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.
(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 percent 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).
(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).
(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.
(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.
(9)
(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.
(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.
(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.
(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.
(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.
(11) Sections 62.13 and 62.50 and chapter 589, laws of 1921, and chapter 423, laws of 1923, shall be construed as enactments of statewide concern for the purpose of providing uniform regulation of police, fire, and combined protective services departments.
(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.
History: 1999 a. 150 ss. 18 to 27; Stats. 1999 s. 66.0101; 2011 a. 32.
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).
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.

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