SB 688

Currently, town territory that is contiguous to any city or village may be

annexed to that city or village under several methods if, in general, some of the city's

or village's territory is in the same county as the territory to be annexed and the city

or village either agrees to make limited payments to the town based on property

taxes that the town levied on the annexed territory or the town and the city or village

enter into a boundary agreement.

Three of the methods of annexation include the following: 1) direct annexation,

under which a petition for annexation that was signed by the required number of

electors and landowners is filed with the city or village clerk; 2) annexation by

referendum, under which a petition for referendum that was signed by the required

number of electors and landowners is filed with the city or village clerk, and a

referendum is held and passes in the town; and 3) annexation by court order and

referendum, under which the governing body of a city or village adopts a resolution

declaring its intention to apply to the circuit court for an order for an annexation

referendum.

Another method of annexation is direct annexation by unanimous approval. If

a petition for direct annexation by unanimous approval signed by all of the electors

residing in the territory and the owners of all of the real property in the territory is

filed with the city or village clerk and the town clerk of all of the involved towns, along

with a scale map and legal description of the property to be annexed, the governing

body of the city or village may, generally, annex the property by a two-thirds vote of

the body. Such an annexation, however, is subject to Department of Administration

advisory review as if the annexation petition were for direct, but not unanimous,

annexation or annexation by referendum.

Generally, cities and villages may also annex territory that is owned by the city

or village and that lies near but not necessarily contiguous to the city or village by

enacting an ordinance to annex such territory.

Under this bill, a city or village may not complete an annexation under which

50 percent or more of the territory to be annexed is located 0.25 miles or more from

the city's or village's border (a noncontiguous annexation) unless the town board of

the town in which the territory to be annexed is located adopts a resolution approving

the annexation.

Also under the bill, if over a consecutive three year period a city or village

completes a number of annexations under any of the allowable methods of

annexation which, if the series of annexations were attempted as a single

annexation, would have resulted in a noncontiguous annexation, the final

annexation in the series may not occur unless the town board of the town in which

the territory to be annexed is located adopts a resolution approving the annexation.