Wisconsin Statutes & Annotations
Chapter 66 - General municipality law.
66.0219 - Annexation by referendum initiated by city or village.

66.0219 Annexation by referendum initiated by city or village. As a complete alternative to any other annexation procedure, and subject to sub. (10) and ss. 66.0301 (6) (d) and 66.0307 (7), unincorporated territory which contains electors and is contiguous to a city or village may be annexed to the city or village under this section. The definitions in s. 66.0217 (1) apply to this section.
(1) Procedure for annexation.
(a) The governing body of the city or village to which it is proposed to annex territory shall, by resolution adopted by two-thirds of the members-elect, declare its intention to apply to the circuit court for an order for an annexation referendum, and shall publish the resolution in a newspaper having general circulation in the area proposed to be annexed, as a class 1 notice, under ch. 985. The governing body shall prepare a scale map of the territory to be annexed, showing it in relation to the annexing city or village. The resolution shall contain a description of the territory to be affected, sufficiently accurate to determine its location, the name of the municipalities directly affected and the name and post-office address of the municipal official responsible for the publication of the resolution. A copy of the resolution together with the scale map shall be served upon the clerk of the town or towns from which the territory is to be detached within 5 days of the date of publication of the resolution. Service may be either by personal service or by registered mail and if by registered mail an affidavit shall be on file with the annexing body indicating the date on which the resolution was mailed. The annexation is considered commenced upon publication of the resolution.
(b) Application to the circuit court shall be by petition subscribed by the officers designated by the governing body, and shall have attached the scale map, a certified copy of the resolution of the governing body and an affidavit of the publication and filing required under par. (a). The petition shall be filed in the circuit court not less than 30 days but no more than 45 days after the publication of the notice of intention.
(2) Protest to court by electors; hearing.
(a) If, prior to the date set for hearing upon an application filed under sub. (1) (b), there is filed with the court a petition signed by a number of qualified electors residing in the territory equal to at least a majority of the votes cast for governor in the territory at the last gubernatorial election or the owners of more than one-half of the real property in assessed value in the territory, protesting against the annexation of the territory, the court shall deny the application for an annexation referendum. If a number of electors cannot be determined on the basis of reported election statistics, the number shall be determined in accordance with s. 60.74 (6).
(b) If a petition protesting the annexation is found insufficient the court shall proceed to hear all parties interested for or against the application. The court may adjourn the hearing from time to time, direct a survey to be made and refer any question for examination and report. A town whose territory is involved in the proposed annexation shall, upon application, be a party and is entitled to be heard on any relevant matter.
(3) Dismissal. If for any reason the proceedings are dismissed, the court may order entry of judgment against the city or village for disbursements or any part of disbursements incurred by the parties opposing the annexation.
(4) Referendum election; when ordered and held.
(a) If the court, after the hearing, is satisfied that the description of the territory or any survey is accurate and that the provisions of this section have been complied with, it shall make an order so declaring and shall direct a referendum election within the territory described in the order, on the question of whether the area should be annexed. Such order shall be filed as provided in s. 8.37. The order shall direct 3 electors named in the order residing in the town in which the territory proposed to be annexed lies, to perform the duties of inspectors of election.
(b) The referendum election shall be held not less than 70 days nor more than 100 days after the filing of the order as provided in s. 8.37, in the territory proposed for annexation, by the electors of that territory as provided in s. 66.0217 (7), so far as applicable. The ballots shall contain the words “For Annexation" and “Against Annexation". The certification of the election inspectors shall be filed with the clerk of the court, and the clerk of any municipality involved, but need not be filed or recorded with the register of deeds.
(c) All costs of the referendum election shall be borne by the petitioning city or village.
(5) Determination by vote.
(a) If a majority of the votes cast at the referendum election is against annexation, no other proceeding under this section affecting the same territory or part of the same territory may be commenced by the same municipality until 6 months after the date of the referendum election.
(b) If a majority of the votes cast at the referendum election is for annexation, the territory shall be annexed to the petitioning city or village upon compliance with s. 66.0217 (9).
(6) Temporary zoning of area proposed to be annexed. An interim zoning ordinance to become effective only upon approval of the annexation at the referendum election may be enacted by the governing body of the city or village. The ordinance may temporarily designate the classification of the annexed area for zoning purposes until the zoning ordinance is amended as prescribed in s. 62.23 (7) (d). The proposed interim zoning ordinance shall be referred to and recommended by the plan commission prior to introduction. Authority to make a temporary classification is not effective when the county zoning ordinance prevails during litigation as provided in s. 59.69 (7).
(7) Appeal. An appeal from the order of the circuit court is limited to contested issues determined by the circuit court. An appeal shall not stay the conduct of the referendum election, if one is ordered, but the statement of the election results and the copies of the certificate and plat may not be filed with the secretary of administration until the appeal has been determined.
(8) Law applicable. Sections 66.0203 (8) (c) and 66.0217 (11) apply to annexations under this section.
(9) Territory excepted. This section does not apply to any territory located in an area for which a certificate of incorporation was issued before February 24, 1959, by the secretary of state, even if the incorporation of the territory is later held to be invalid by a court.
(10) Limitations on annexation authority.
(a)
1. Except as provided in subd. 2., no territory may be annexed by a city or village under this section unless the city or village agrees to pay annually to the town, for 5 years, an amount equal to the amount of property taxes that the town levied on the annexed territory, as shown by the tax roll under s. 70.65, in the year in which the annexation is final.
2. No payments under subd. 1. must be made if the city or village, and the town, enter into a boundary agreement under s. 66.0225, 66.0301, or 66.0307.
(b) No territory may be annexed by a city or village under this section if no part of the city or village is located in the same county as the territory that is subject to the proposed annexation unless all of the following occur:
1. The town board adopts a resolution approving the proposed annexation.
2. The county board of the county in which the territory is located adopts a resolution approving the proposed annexation.
History: 1979 c. 89; 1987 a. 391; 1991 a. 269; 1993 a. 301, 329; 1995 a. 201; 1999 a. 150 s. 68; Stats. 1999 s. 66.0219; 1999 a. 182 s. 200; 2001 a. 30; 2003 a. 171, 317; 2007 a. 43; 2011 a. 75; 2013 a. 80; 2015 a. 55; 2017 a. 365 s. 111.
Cross-reference: See s. 281.43 (1m) for provision authorizing use of this section when the DNR orders sewer service to areas outside municipal limits.
A trial court finding that no facts evinced a need for the city to acquire the proposed territory, thereby violating the rule of reason, would not be disturbed when it could be reasonably concluded from the adjudicative facts that: 1) the irregular shape and boundaries of the territory were designed arbitrarily and capriciously solely to assure the success of the annexation and to overcome the opposition of a majority of the electors residing in the towns; 2) a reasonable need for the annexation based on the claimed growth of the city and overflow of population into adjoining areas was not established; and 3) aside from a nursing home some 2 miles distant from the city boundary, there was no showing that the proposed annexation area was in need of the city's services which were adequately supplied by the towns. City of Beloit v. Town of Beloit, 47 Wis. 2d 377, 177 N.W.2d 361 (1970).
The term “disbursements" in sub. (3) does not include attorney fees. City of Beloit v. Town of Beloit, 47 Wis. 2d 377, 177 N.W.2d 361 (1970).
Under the rule of prior precedence, in case of conflict between competing annexations, or between an annexation and a proceeding for the incorporation of a city or village, the proceeding first instituted has precedence, and the later one must yield. Annexation proceedings did not lose priority status when the ordinances were deemed invalid and dismissed by the circuit court but subsequently vindicated on appeal. Town of Campbell v. City of La Crosse, 2003 WI App 139, 266 Wis. 2d 107, 667 N.W.2d 356, 02-1150.

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